Secrets From 2008
by Between The Clouds
Summary: Blair slept with Jack on New Year's Eve. She thinks everything will be okay as long as Chuck doesn't find out. There's only one problem: Nothing stays a secret on the Upper East Side for long. Lame title, I know.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **This is my first real fanfiction with chapters. I should warn you that even though this is technically a Blair and Chuck story, it also has a whole bunch of Serena and other characters in as well. After you read this chapter, you'll see why this is necessary. Why did I write this story instead of writing something about the current plotline? That's because I think the current plotline sucks. Yeah, Blair and Dan don't really work for me. Neither do Blair and Jack, which is why I'm writing this. I hate how the writers handled that plotline. I don't even like watching the Blair/Chuck reunion scene in the season 2 finale anymore because of what happened right before. So, here's my version of what should have happened.

P.S. This chapter is actually more of a prologue, but if I called it that, it would mess up all of my other chapter numbers. So I'm just going to call it Chapter 1.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Gossip Girl, do you think I would ACTUALLY allow Blair and Dan to kiss? Ever? My, you misjudge me so.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

Sighing, Serena let herself into her house. This was pretty much the worst winter holiday ever. First her step-dad died right before vacation, then her step-brother ran away, then she further ruined her vacation by breaking up with Aaron, then she went to tell Dan she still loved him, only to find out they shared a half-sibling. She guessed they wouldn't be rekindling their romance anytime soon. Now she was back home for New Year's Eve, hoping she could just lock herself in her room for the rest of the break.

She stepped into the living room. "Mom?" she called. Before she locked herself in her room, she wanted to know more about her half-brother or half-sister. She stopped when she found Lily talking to a man she'd never seen before. He was good-looking enough (for his age) and he seemed easy-going, but there was something Serena didn't like about him.

"Serena, what a pleasant surprise!" Lily exclaimed, walking over to embrace her daughter. "What are you doing back so soon? Didn't you have a good time with Aaron?"

"We broke up. Actually, mom, there's something I need to talk to you about." Serena looked upset, but she couldn't talk to Lily with that strange man there.

Lily looked over at the man. "Can it wait? I'm in the middle of something right now. Serena, this is Jack Bass, Bart's brother and Chuck's uncle. Jack, this is Serena, my daughter." Jack grinned and held out his hand.

As they shook hands, Jack's eyes went down to her cleavage. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Jack said, with a sleazy grin on his face. Serena shuddered. Jack sure was a lot like Chuck. At least Chuck was still a teenager. What was Jack's excuse?

"It's funny; I didn't know Chuck had an uncle. He never mentioned it." She told him, giving him a look of complete disgust.

"Yeah, well, that's my nephew for you. Always hiding things. Unlike you." His eyes slipped down to Serena's chest again and she took a step back.

Lily was getting creeped out by the way Jack was looking at her daughter. She quickly stepped between them. "Jack is here for Bart's will. He's also trying to find Chuck. Apparently." She added the last part with a glance in Jack's direction. Serena smiled a little.

"It was nice to meet you, Jack. I'll talk to you later, mom. Where's Eric?" Serena backed out of the room as quickly as she could.

Lily sighed. "He's in his room." She watched Serena leave and then turned back to Jack. With that, Serena headed to Eric's room.

"Eric? It's me. Can I come in?" Serena knocked softly on Eric's door. She wondered why Eric wasn't with Lily and Jack, but she already knew the answer to that.

"Serena? Come in!" Even through the door, Serena could hear Eric's surprise. She smiled and entered his room. Eric was lying in his bed, reading a book and listening to his Ipod. He took his earphones out when his sister came in his room and sat next to him on his bed.

She ruffled her little brother's hair and hugged him. "Hey. I'm back early. Why aren't you with good old Uncle Jack?" she teased him. Eric hugged her back, but his face darkened when Serena mentioned Jack.

"That guy's creepy. I don't like the way he looks at mom."

Serena nodded. "I don't like the way he looks at me."

Eric smiled a little. "So why are you back so early? Did you and Aaron have a fight or something?"

"No, we didn't have a fight, but I broke up with him. I love Dan. I went over to his loft to tell him that before I came here, but he told me something bad." Serena looked at Eric closely. "Guess what, Eric? You, me, Dan, and Jenny all share a sibling. We're not related to each other, though. Thank God."

The look on Eric's face made her giggle. Eric laughed with her. "A-are you serious?" Eric stammered between laughs. "This family is so screwed up! We might be step-siblings someday!" Suddenly Eric stopped laughing. "Hey, you and Dan aren't getting back together, are you?"

Serena gave her younger brother a sad smile. "I don't know if we can get past this. It's just too much to handle right now. We both need time to think." She sighed. "I still want to go out with him, but I just don't know if it's possible anymore." Just then, they heard a knock on Eric's door and Jack popped in. The van der Woodsens weren't very pleased at his intrusion.

"I'm heading out now. I've got a meeting with somebody important. I'll see you tomorrow. Maybe we can get to know each other better." Jack laughed and closed the door again. Serena and Eric shared a disgusted look.

"Jack has been here before?" Serena asked, surprised.

Eric made a face. "Yeah, he's been here every day for a week. Mom keeps trying to get him to leave, but she's too worried about finding Chuck to run Jack out of town."

Serena wondered why her mom couldn't just try to find Chuck herself. She stood up and stretched. "It's great to see you again, but I think I'm going out for a bit. See you tomorrow?"

Eric waved and went back to his book. "See you tomorrow. Oh, by the way, Jack's joining us for New Year's brunch. You'd better be there." His sister left his room and he put his earphones back in his ears, smiling to himself.

On the other side of the door, Serena rubbed her head tiredly. Damn, she needed a drink. Or a few drinks. Even though she didn't drink as much as she used to, this was one of those times where she needed to let loose. The Palace Bar was a perfect place to do exactly that.

At the Palace Bar, Serena went straight for one of the barstools in front of the counter. Before she could reach the stools, she did a double take. Was that Blair? She smiled giddily. She was planning on visiting Blair in the morning, but it was even better to see her now. Just then, Serena stopped in her tracks. Who was that beside her? It was a man who looked a lot like Jack, but that was impossible. Blair didn't know Jack, and if she did, she wouldn't associate with him. The man turned his head, giving Serena a better look. _No_. No no no no no no NO. It _was_ Jack. Blair was the person Jack was meeting?

What the fuck? What the FUCK?

Serena's mind raced to find a plausible explanation. When she found one, she could breathe again. Of course! Blair wanted to find Chuck and she was coming to Jack for information! She calmed down, but something still didn't feel right. The explanation made sense, so why was Serena still feeling uneasy? Something was wrong.

The confused blonde watched as Blair and Jack stood up to leave. Serena paused, torn on what to do. One part of her told her to leave her best friend alone and to forget about the whole thing, but another part of her told her to follow the two of them. Not surprisingly, she waited until they were far enough away, and then began to follow them. They were heading upstairs towards the suites. Alarm bells rang in Serena's head, but she forced herself not to jump to conclusions. _There's no way Blair would do that. She loves Chuck. Doesn't she?_ A million thoughts rose in Serena's mind.

Hardly able to breathe, Serena quietly followed Blair and Jack up the stairs. Already a swirling feeling rose in her stomach, but she tried to ignore it. They walked down the hall, with Serena fifteen steps behind them. _Don't turn around, don't turn around…_she silently begged. Finally, they stopped at the door of a suite. Serena panicked. She had to stay to see what was going on, but they would see her if she stayed there. She spotted a large plant and ducked behind it. As long as they didn't suspect anything, she should be safe.

They talked for a while in front of the door. _See, it was silly to jump to conclusions. They probably just came up here to talk about Chuck in a quieter environment. How should I leave without them seeing me? _Serena thought, her brain switching ideas to work on getting out of there without being spotted.

Something inside of her made Serena look back at Blair and Jack. Immediately she wished she hadn't. In front of the door, Blair and Jack kissed. The kiss quickly turned into a make-out session. Serena froze. With one hand, Jack opened the door to what was presumably his suite and he and Blair stumbled inside. The door closed shut behind them. Serena's winter vacation suddenly got a lot worse.

Serena felt sick.

This was like the time when Serena caught Blair and Chuck making out at Blair's birthday party, except this was worse. So much worse. Unless she was wrong, Chuck wasn't Nate's creepy old uncle. Even if he was, the situation still wouldn't be the same. What the fuck was Blair thinking?

Shakily, the girl stood up and ran downstairs. She was so angry and she didn't even know why. Maybe she did know, deep inside, but at that moment it didn't matter why she was angry. The point was that she was pretty fucking pissed. Actually, she was furious. She was also shocked and confused, but all she could feel was immense anger. She stopped running to briefly lean against a wall and sighed dejectedly.

Fuck, now she _really_ needed that drink.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Next chapter, Chuck will actually make an appearance! So will Nate and Dan. I found it hard to write Blair's part because I don't feel very sympathetic towards her at the moment. Every time I wrote about how sad she was I wanted to strangle her. She's my favourite character, honest, just not right now. Nothing major is going to happen in the next few chapters. Chuck isn't going to find out right away. I really want to skip the padding chapters and jump to the part where Chuck finds out, but that would be bad writing. Stay tuned, people who might be reading this!

**Disclaimer:** Guess what? I still don't own Gossip Girl. Hey, it's only been five days...

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Without even stopping to look at the vomit, Blair stood up and flushed the toilet. She felt disgusting. This wasn't how she was supposed to bring in the New Year. Instead of greeting 2009 with confetti, she created a scandal. She slept with Jack because she was unbearably lonely, but she became so much lonelier when she woke up beside him.

Chuck… Chuck couldn't find out about this. Ever. Nobody could ever find out about it. It would break him all over again. Blair felt a sharp pain in her heart at the thought of hurting Chuck. No, as far as she was concerned, last night never happened. As soon as Jack found Chuck, they could go back to the way it was before. Almost.

She washed her face and scrutinized her appearance in the mirror. After brushing her hair and applying foundation, mascara, and blush, she felt a little better. If she could, she would fill up the hollowness in her heart.

Blair decided to pay a visit to Serena. Her mother ran into Lily last night, and Lily said that Serena came back from her vacation early. Serena would make her forget. Her large brown eyes shone a tiny bit brighter as she thought of seeing her best friend again. She almost smiled to herself as she made her way downstairs. 2009 was a new year. It would allow everybody to overcome the mistakes of 2008. That's what Blair kept telling herself as she put on her winter coat and shoes and walked to the van der Woodsens'.

The van der Woodsen + Jack Bass New Years Brunch was awkward, to say the least. Serena sat across from Jack and ate her meal in stony silence. She stared at him the entire time, never once averting her gaze. It was getting on Eric and Lily's nerves. Jack was also perturbed, but he hid it with a cocky grin at the raging blonde.

Finally, Eric couldn't take it anymore and broke the silence. "I'm meeting Jonathan later today. We're going skating together. What are your plans?" he asked the group, hoping to lighten the mood.

Lily gave a grateful smile to Eric. "I'm going shopping in the afternoon. Now that I think about it, it has been a while since I did any shopping at all. It should be relaxing."

His sister didn't even spare a glance in his direction when she responded. "Hopefully I'm going far, far away. What about you, Jack? Are you going far, far away? I can help you pack your bags."

Jack let about a deep chuckle. "Thanks for the offer, but that won't be necessary. I'm going to be staying a while. There's still business to attend to." Serena snorted.

"Oh, don't they have any hookers in Australia? Or have you already slept with all the women over there? Luckily for you, there's no shortage of high class call girls in Manhattan." Her blue eyes met his as she pronounced every word with sheer contempt.

Lily was shocked. "Serena!" Meanwhile, Eric spit his orange juice back into his cup, shaking with laughter.

Even Jack was slightly taken aback. What was her problem? She wasn't this bitchy when he met her last night. Either way, it impressed him. "I'm not one to mix business with pleasure. The business comes first; the pleasure comes later." The look on his face infuriated the girl even more.

With a look of pure hatred directed at Jack, Serena jumped up from her seat. "I'm done." She left the table then, leaving the others in dead silence. Eric nervously picked at his eggs, not looking up at his mother or Jack. He didn't know why Serena was acting like this, but he had a bad feeling about it. Lily just pressed her fingertips against her forehead and but into a piece of toast. As for Jack, he was already finished eating. He stood up and straightened his tie.

"Thanks for having me over. Give my compliments to the chef. I'll meet with you sometime in the near future, Lily, to discuss Bass Industries and, of, course, Chuck." Lily nodded, distracted. Jack waved at them and headed for the front door. He was stopped when Serena came out of nowhere and stood in front of him, blocking his way. Her arms were crossed and she looked less than impressed.

When Jack attempted to move around her, Serena moved to block him again. The man gave a short laugh and opened his mouth to say something, but she beat him to it. "My mother may believe you're exhausting all of your resources to find your nephew, but I know better. You have no intention of bringing Chuck home. What kind of a person are you? Extorting your own family for personal gain? You should be ashamed of yourself." she told him, somehow showing a calm exterior.

Jack glanced at her cockily. "Hold it right there, Miss van der Woodsen. I'm going to find Chuck. Don't get your panties in a bunch." Again, he moved to get around Serena. This time she let him past. As she reached the door, Serena spoke to him again.

"Stay away from us, Jack. We don't want you here. Just leave us alone." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "I mean it."

Unaffected by the teenager's words, Jack grinned and waved, closing the door behind him. The second he left, Serena let out a cry of rage. She flew down the hall towards her room and slammed her door shut. Getting dressed and going outside for a walk in Central Park sounded like a good idea. She quickly grabbed a pair of jeans and a purple blouse to change her clothes. Just then, Lily knocked on the door.

"Honey, Blair's here." she called. Her daughter opened the door. She was extremely distressed. Concerned, Lily walked into Serena's bedroom and sat on her bed. "What's the matter? Is everything okay?"

Serena ran a hand through her hair, paced around the room. "Great. Blair's here. Just about the last person I want to see." Lily was surprised.

"Did you and Blair get into another fight? Maybe she's coming here to apologize." Lily reasoned.

Serena sighed. "No, mom, we're not fighting. I just don't want to talk to anybody right now. I'm going out for a walk by myself. It's not a big deal."

"Just make sure you're home by six."

Suddenly Serena remembered something. She turned around to face her mother. "Just tell me one thing, mom. Is the half-sibling that Dan and I share a boy or a girl?" Lily gasped, her eyes wide with shock.

"Oh, honey, I wanted to tell you, but it never seemed like a good time. When you were little I didn't think you would understand. Then you got involved in parties and alcohol, and you wouldn't even talk to me. When you met Dan, I thought it would be best if maybe you didn't know, at least for the time being…" Lily began to ramble, playing with her necklace nervously.

The younger blonde only shook her head. "You know what, that's not good enough. Eric and I had a right to know, not to mention Rufus. I can't believe you kept something this important from us for all these years. I don't even want to know what else you've been lying about. At least Rufus was honest with his own kids." With that, Serena left her room. Lily still sat on the bed, trying to figure out what just happened. She was upset, but she didn't know what to say. She watched her daughter walk away from her. When she was gone, Lily put her head in her hands and tried her hardest not to cry.

In the front hall, Serena came face to face with Blair. She had forgotten that Blair was waiting for her. Wait, how had Blair even known that Serena was back? Once Blair saw her best friend, she smiled. "What took you so long? I've been waiting here for five minutes! I was thinking that we could spend the day at Bendels, then-"

Serena cut her off. "Actually, I was just going out. I'm sorry, but I've already made plans. Maybe we could hang out some other time. See you later, B!" A second later Serena was out the door, giving her best friend a short wave. Blair blinked. She was hurt by how quickly Serena had left. She wondered what she did wrong to make Serena so abrupt with her. Slowly, she gathered up her things and left the building.

When Blair got outside, she breathed in the winter air. So far, this was the worst New Year's ever. She was completely alone. Chuck was away somewhere, Serena was busy, Nate was spending all of his time with Vanessa, and her mother was being herself. Letting out a shaky breath, Blair looked up at the sky. She didn't know what to do anymore. Everything felt wrong, and she had no idea how to make it right again.

Her ring-tone signaled an incoming text. Blair took her phone out of her pocket and checked the caller I.D. It was Jack. She read the message.

**last night was wonderful. we should do that again sometime. **

Blair glared at the message and texted a reply as fast as she could.

**Keep dreaming, Jack. Last night was a mistake that will never be repeated. **

As she sent the message, she thought back to similar words she told Chuck after the night in the limo. __From this moment forward, the events of last night will never be mentioned again___**, **__is that clear?_ At the memory, she squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn't think of Chuck right now. Blair immediately felt ashamed for comparing the night in the back of Chuck's limo and New Years Eve with Jack. They weren't the same at all. Just as the memory of the limo came into her mind, Blair forced it out. _Stop thinking about him! There are other things to think about! _She scolded herself. Jack's reply came in just then.

**oh, really? you didn't seem so sure a few hours ago. **

Reading this, Blair turned off her phone. She didn't bother to reply. She wanted to go home. Dorota would support her no matter what. The curly haired brunette slung her Valentino handbag over her shoulder and headed to the one place where she would always be welcome.

"Miss Blair!" The Polish maid watched Blair as she entered the penthouse and ran towards her. "Why did you come home early this morning? I saw you. What is the matter?" A frown appeared on Dorota's face. Seeing her, Blair's own face crumpled and she started to cry.

"I m-made a mistake." She stammered, letting out heaving sobs. "I-I didn't mean to. This wasn't how it was supposed to be." Dorota hugged her and patted her back reassuringly. She didn't know what happened, but that didn't matter right now. Miss Blair was upset, and the important thing was to comfort her.

"It is okay, Miss Blair. Everything will be okay." Blair only sobbed harder. "We can go feed ducks later. You always like feeding ducks. Sound good?" The maid felt Blair's head move and assumed it was a nod. Later, they would feed the ducks together in Central Park and Blair wouldn't be sad anymore. Things would be better tomorrow. Dorota wished with all her heart that this was true, but somehow she knew it wouldn't be okay this time.

At 5:50 PM, Serena came home. She had spent the entire day in Central Park doing a whole lot of nothing. It was peaceful, and it had calmed her down and let her consider her problems without any distractions. She felt so much better than she did eight hours ago. As she stepped inside, she saw Lily and Eric sitting quietly at the kitchen table. The table was set for a fancy New Years supper, but they were waiting for Serena to come home before they started eating.

Serena smiled weakly at them and sat down in her seat at the table. Lily took a deep breath and reached out for both her children's hands. "Serena, Eric, there's something I need to tell you. I'm sorry it's nineteen years too late. You have a half-brother. Rufus is the father. In a few days, Rufus and I are going away to look for him." Serena and Eric smiled at her. This wasn't a surprise to either of them, but they were proud of their mother for finally telling the truth.

For the next half-hour, the three of them ate and talked about the family member they had never known. The two teenagers asked questions about their half-brother, and Lily answered them to the best of her ability. For the second year in a row, the van der Woodsens ate their New Years supper as a family. Just the three of them.

A week and a half later, Blair was sitting in her room alone. She'd been spending a lot of time alone lately. She had hung out with Serena once, and that was so awkward it was almost unbearable. Serena was jumpy and distracted the entire time. Every time Blair asked her what was wrong, the blonde only laughed and said everything was fine. She didn't want to talk about Chuck or Dan, and she mentioned Jack a few too many times. Blair had no idea what was going on with her best friend, but whatever it was, Serena seemed to be avoiding her. Other than that one time, Serena had claimed to be busy every time Blair wanted to spend time with her. Oh well. It was probably nothing. Blair had a habit of over-reacting.

Blair jerked when she heard her phone signal a new message. It was Jack. Ever since New Years Eve, he had been calling and texting her repeatedly. Blair wished Jack would just go back to Australia and stop bothering her. He served as a constant reminder of things she would rather forget. Sighing, she read the message. She was expecting another perverted comment, but it was something else.

Jack had found Chuck!

He was bringing him home right at that moment. Blair called for Dorota immediately. She was feeling excited and a little scared. She couldn't help but remember their last encounter. The encounter where she had told him she loved him and he didn't say it back. His father just died. He didn't say it because his father just died and he was left broken.

His father had just died, and she… Blair used all of her willpower to shut out that horrible, disgusting, _filthy_, thing she had done. It was in the past. It was over. She would ever have to think about it again. Chuck had been found. That was all that mattered.

She hoped Chuck was okay. Ever since he left, images of his half-dead body lying in a ditch thousands of miles away had haunted her. She yanked on her coat. She couldn't stand to wait a second longer to see Chuck. _He's completely fine._ Blair thought to herself frantically. _He __**has**__ to be!_


	3. Chapter 3

****Author's Note: ****In case you haven't noticed, a lot of things in my story don't happen in the same order as they do on the show. Some things that appeared in the show never happened at all in my story. For example, the "Serena and Dan's half-sibling" storyline is done a little differently here. I think this version fits better with my story. This chapter used to be longer, but I split it in half to make shorter chapters. If you're reading, review! It makes me happy!

**Disclaimer:** I'm not even sure if I'm supposed to do this for every chapter, but I can't stop now. Nope, I still don't own a thing.

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

Chuck was most definitely not okay. Blair winced as she witnessed Jack drag Chuck out of the limo and inside the hotel. He was barely alive and could hardly be called sober. He didn't even notice Blair standing a few feet away. The girl stood there as Jack and Chuck disappeared inside the building. At once, she turned to Dorota.

"Come on, Dorota, let's go. I have to home and get ready for school." Blair said, already turning away from the hotel.

Dorota looked upset. "But, Miss Blair-"

Blair cut her off. "_No_, Dorota. I have more important things to do right now. Chuck is obviously too busy for me at the moment."

The maid wanted to protest again, but something in Blair's voice made her stay silent and follow her home. Neither one of them said a word for the rest of the walk.

xoxo

"So Chuck really shut you down again this morning at school? And he got suspended for two weeks because he was caught smoking hash by Headmistress Queller?" Serena asked her best friend as they walked to class together later that afternoon.

Blair sighed. "It was horrible. His eyes were so dead, S. I looked, but there was nothing there. I'm losing him, and I don't know what to do anymore. I'm worried about him. He needs my help."

"You should give him his space." Serena advised.

Blair turned to face the taller girl. "Chuck doesn't need space! He needs somebody to comfort him!"

Looking away, Serena replied, "B, if he wanted to talk to you, he would have. Maybe he's just not that into you."

"Serena!" Blair shouted. "What is wrong with you? You've been acting weird ever since before your vacation. And you've been avoiding me. I had to practically tackle you just to get you to walk with me today." She looked hurt, but it only made Serena more frustrated.

Walking into the classroom, Serena turned to face Blair one last time. "It's not me, it's you." With that, she sat down at her desk and didn't spare Blair a glance throughout the entire class. Once the class ended, Blair hurried out of the building. She was upset by Serena's behaviour, but she had to find Chuck before she worried about her best friend. Somehow, she knew exactly where to find him.

xoxo

_Well, that went well. I couldn't have been more obvious if I tried. _Serena wanted to kick herself for being so stupid. Not only did she give a reason for Blair to suspect that something was wrong, but she also felt guilty for acting like that towards her best friend. It was just so _hard_. Blair would crack a joke and Serena would laugh, just like they always did. But then that sickening image of what happened on New Year's Eve came into Serena's mind and she would shut Blair out again. She knew she was hurting Blair, and she hated herself for it, but she couldn't help it. Serena was so lost and confused and nobody understood what she was going through.

As she walked into the courtyard, she spotted Dan on his hands and knees under one of the tables. Curious, she walked over to him. "Dan? What are you doing?"

Dan lifted his head up at once and hit his head on the bottom of the table. "Ow! Serena? Uh… Hi?" Serena smiled.

He crawled out from under the table, stood up, and dusted off his pants. "I'm trying to find my English essay. It's due in five minutes and I lost it somehow. If I don't find it, I'll fail." Dan's voice rose at the end, and Serena could tell how stressed he was. Although she didn't worry about it, she knew how much Dan cared about school. A failed essay in Danland was equal to the end of the world.

"Don't worry. I'll help you find it." Even as they stood five feet apart, they both felt the awkward tension in the air. They hadn't talked since the night Serena found out they shared a half-sibling. Dan fidgeted as he smiled at Serena, and Serena's legs were shaking as she walked towards a nearby garbage to search for Dan's essay.

Dan searched through another garbage can. "Thank you so much." He told Serena. "I don't know what I'd do without you." The girl turned away, hoping Dan wouldn't see her blushing. She managed a quick nod as she sorted through the papers in the garbage. When Dan pulled out a rotten apple, he sighed. Why did Serena get the cleaner garbage? More importantly, _why_ was Serena's garbage cleaner?

Just then, the blonde noticed some papers partially under the garbage can. "Oh." She reached down and grabbed them. When she saw what was typed on them, she grinned. "I found it! Oh, Dan, I found it!" Dan looked up and grinned as well.

He ran over and grabbed the papers from her hands. All of a sudden, he pulled Serena into a hug. "Thank you! Thank you! I owe you! You just saved my life!" Startled, Serena hugged him back. A smile formed on her lips. They must have looked completely ridiculous, she thought, hugging each other in the middle of the courtyard. Dan had a banana peel stuck on his sleeve, but he didn't notice and Serena didn't care. It was nice to know that even in a world that holds the most disgusting lies, secrets, and scandals, there was always a trace of innocence.

xoxo

Chuck blinked a few times. The room was hazy, and he couldn't see very well. He wasn't sure if Blair Waldorf was walking up to him or not. Once she got closer, he could definitely tell it was her. He wondered why she had bothered to come.

"Hello, Chuck. I thought I'd find you here." Blair spoke tiredly. She tried to ignore the two sluts all over him.

Chuck only stared at her. "Blair." He turned to the two dancers beside him and whispered, "Ladies, will you give us a moment?" Once the dancers left, they were alone.

"I thought you sold this place." Blair said.

"I bought it back last night. They took me to the cleaners. Some things are worth the price."

"You should go home." Blair voice gave her away. "Lily, Serena, Eric—"

Chuck interrupted angrily. "It is _not_ my home. Or my family."

"Fine, go to the Palace. Just… get out of here."

Chuck still continued to stare at her with those empty eyes. "Oh, that would be rude. Since I'm throwing a party here tonight. I just posted it on Gossip Girl. Maybe you'll grace us with a dance."

"Chuck. Stop!" Blair's voice rose. "All this doesn't help, it isn't you." She pleaded with him.

"Wrong. Bart may have been a bastard, but he saw me better than anyone. I'm simply living up to my potential. It's time to let go of your fantasies."

While Chuck's voice remained monotonous throughout the entire exchange, Blair's voice became desperate. "I don't believe you."

He looked away then. "That's your business." He sighed and looked at her again. "Now is that it? Or are you going to tell me you love me again?"

Blair stared at him, hurt. "Why did you even come back? When Chuck didn't answer, she walked away as fast as she could without being ungraceful.

As Chuck watched her leave, he sighed. Why did she even have to come in the first place? It would be better if she just stayed away. He didn't know why he kept on pushing her away. He was a dick. Blair was better off without him. Even as he thought this, he felt a dull ache in his heart that just wouldn't go away.

xoxo

Back at the Waldorf penthouse, Blair paced around the living room angrily. Dorota watched her incredulously. "I can't believe that motherchucker! He's just falling deeper into his pit of self-destruction, and he doesn't even want my help! If that's the way he wants it, fine. I don't need him anyway. I'm better off without him." Throughout Blair's rant, Dorota stayed quiet. When Blair came home, she had been crying. Blair didn't tell the maid what had happened, but she launched in a long, windy, speech about how stupid Chuck was. Her speech was finally finished, but she wasn't any calmer.

"We could play chess tonight. You like chess." Dorota attempted to soothe the young lady, but she would have none of it.

"Did you know Chuck is having a party at Victrola tonight? I'm definitely not going!" Blair went on, ignoring Dorota.

"You did mention it a few times, Miss Blair."

Blair sank down into a chair. "I wish there was something I could do. He's just so lost. I have to save him, but I don't know how." All the anger had left her voice. Now she just sounded lonely and scared.

"Mister Chuck is having party tonight." Dorota reminded her.

Blair fidgeted like a little girl. "Yes, but…"

"You are going to party, yes? I will lay out your new dress. Mister Chuck likes you in dresses." There was a firm look on Dorota's face that she rarely used. Blair was defeated, and she knew it. She followed Dorota upstairs to get ready for the party.

xoxo

"Nate! I haven't seen you in forever!" Serena caught Nate's arm as she passed by him on the street. It was only 8:00 PM, but it was already dark out. Nate stared at her for a second, then smiled in recognition.

"Serena! Long time no see!" Nate grinned. "Where have you been in the last few weeks? I didn't see you at school today!"

"Well, I've been pretty busy…I _did_ go to school today, though."

"That's good to hear. Speaking of school, I heard Chuck got suspended for two weeks. He's really taking his dad's death hard. I hope he's doing okay." Nate's eyes widened just then. "Oh yeah, I saw Blair about ten minutes ago. She said she was going to Chuck's party at Victrola. I told her I was going to see Vanessa instead of going to Chuck's party. She just huffed and walked away." He shook his head, grinning. "Man, what a girl."

Serena let out a gasp. "What? Blair's going to see Chuck? That's not a good idea! She shouldn't be seeing him right now!"

Nate frowned. "Look, Serena, I know you're not Chuck's biggest fan, but he really cares about Blair. He's almost impossible to get through to at the moment, but if anybody can get through to Chuck, it's her."

"No…" Serena violently shook her head. "No, that's not the reason I don't want them to see each other. There's something else." Nate caught the look on Serena's face and paused. She looked absolutely devastated. He looked into her blue eyes and searched for an answer.

"Serena, do you know something I don't?" The blonde nodded miserably. "If it's important, you should tell me."

She only shook her head harder. "I can't tell anybody. It's too horrible. Please, Nate, just let it go." Serena pleaded. Nate stayed right where he was.

He glanced at the ground for a second and took a deep breath. "It's me you're talking to. I'm Nate, you know. We've known each other practically all our lives and we've shared our darkest secrets together. I'm not some random stranger, Serena. I'm one of your best friends. I'm also one of Chuck and Blair's best friends." He looked her in the eyes and smiled at her. "We don't judge, remember? We're part of the Non-Judging Breakfast Club!"

Serena considered this. Nate had a point. It would be a relief to finally tell somebody, and Nate was most likely the best person she could tell. He was close to both Chuck and Blair, he was one of Serena's best friends, and he was a good listener. Also, he wouldn't tell anybody. Serena trusted him with that. "Alright, I'll tell you." She finally gave up. "Let's go to a bar. If I'm going to do this, I'll to need to be pretty drunk." Serena led Nate by the arm as he texted Vanessa to cancel their date. In any other situation, they would be laughing and talking excitedly as they walked together. But during their walk to the bar, both of their faces were somber. Nate wasn't sure what Serena's secret was, but he was sure he wasn't going to like it when he found out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **Whew! I'm so glad that's over! I can start to enjoy writing chapters again. I hated writing the parts with actual dialog from the show, but I thought it was important to add it in. I don't have to do it any more, thank god. I like the ending of this chapter.

**Disclaimer: **Dude, seriously? It's been a few hours. No I don't own Gossip Girl. Jeez!

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

Blair's heart beat wildly as she and Jack raced to the rooftop of Victrola. She was sure her heart was going to leap out of her throat when she saw Chuck on the ledge. Before she could do anything, Jack yelled, "Chuck!"

Caught by surprise, Chuck stumbled and almost fell. "No!" Blair cried. She turned on Jack. "You idiot! You don't surprise someone standing off the edge of a building!" Jack ignored her and turned his attention to Chuck.

"Chuck. Come away from there. Let's go down and join the party." Jack advised.

"I was at the party. I'm not really that into it."

Jack tried again. "Chuck, your father wouldn't have wanted this."

"Dear old dad. Unfortunately, all I know is what he didn't want. Which is me." Chuck's voice broke and so did Blair's heart. Chuck stared up at the sky. "I'm Chuck Bass!" he yelled. He paused for a few moments, and when he spoke again his voice was barely above a whisper. "No one cares."

At this, Blair stepped closer to the ledge and to Chuck. "I do! Don't you understand? I'll always be here. I don't want you going anywhere. I couldn't bear it! So whatever you want to do to yourself, please don't do that to me." Her unshed teas showed in her tone, but she didn't care. All she cared about right now was Chuck. She held out her hand to him. Slowly, Chuck grabbed hold of her hand and stepped off the ledge. He immediately fell into her embrace.

"I'm sorry." Chuck said as he buried his face into her shoulder.

Blair only hugged him harder. "It's okay."

The two teenagers hugged each other tightly, oblivious to Jack watching them.

Their world was only big enough for two, and Jack wasn't invited.

xoxo

A few minutes later, Jack helped Chuck to his limo and Blair followed close behind. "He should go back to Lily's." She told Jack. Chuck climbed into the limo as she spoke to his uncle.

"He'll just take off again. I've got a better chance of keeping an eye on him."

"Just so you know, I don't trust you."

Jack's face was serious as he replied. "All I want is what's best for my nephew." It was a good lie; a convincing lie. "And as for trusting me, do you really have a choice?"

The girl conceded on that point. "He can't know what happened on New Year's." She sounded so lost and vulnerable. Jack nodded in understanding.

"Goodnight, Blair." The next thing she knew, Chuck and Jack's limo had driven away. She was left alone on the road, staring at the retreating limo. Finally, she left the road to go home.

xoxo

"I can't believe it. I just can't believe it." Nate exclaimed after Serena had told him what she had seen on New Year's Eve. The two teenagers were half-drunk by the time Serena finally decided to tell him. Serena nervously tapped her fingers against her glass of whiskey.

"I know, I know. It's awful. Jack Bass is a jackass!" Realizing what she just said, Serena giggled.

Oblivious to this, Nate stared at the bartender for no particular reason. "When I met him before, he didn't seem that bad. Chuck liked him. I think Chuck liked him. I liked him. Man, who knew he was a bad seed?"

Serena turned to Nate, a puzzled expression on her face. "You met Jack before?"

The young man nodded, deep in thought. "Yeah. I met him when he visited Chuck when we were fourteen." Suddenly, Nate's blue eyes widened. "Oh my god! I remember showing him a picture of Blair when he asked me who my friends were! Do you think that's what started all of this?"

Serena blinked. She hoped not, because an adult man lusting over a fourteen year old was decidedly creepier than an adult man lusting over a girl in her last year of high school. To Serena, they were both pretty creepy. "No, Nate, I don't think so. He probably doesn't even remember you showing him that picture."

He sighed with relief, then laughed. "That would be so weird if he did remember it! I mean, come on, it's been four years. I've gotten older, you know. I am no longer a virgin!" They laughed, remembering the last time Serena and Nate had gotten drunk together. Nate had lost his virginity to Serena, and then all hell broke loose. She couldn't believe two years had passed since that night.

Serena rested her head on the counter, staring up at Nate. "I never thought I'd be on Chuck's side in one of Blair and Chuck's conflicts. What's wrong with me? There's no way I can be growing fond of Chuck, right?"

Nate smiled. "You're just being sisterly towards him. Chuck's not so bad."

The blonde made a face. "Ugh. He _is_ bad. He is very bad. Seriously, I feel like such a horrible friend to Blair right now. She probably feels terrible about what she did, and she needs somebody to be there for her. But I just can't. I can pretend that nothing is wrong, and I can still act like I don't have any problem with her, but I can't _be_ her best friend until I come clean to her about what I saw."

"So why don't you just confront her?"

"I can't. Not right now. If I hear Blair admit that she slept with Jack, it will be real all over again. At least now we can pretend that nothing happened. I guess I'll have to tell her soon, though." Serena frowned. "Nate, I have an idea. If we could somehow tear Blair and Chuck apart, then it would be better for all of us. When the truth finally comes out, they would have gone their separate ways already, and it will be less painful. It doesn't have to be heart-breaking. Are you in or not?"

Nate looked down for a few moments. "I don't know," he said slowly. "I really believe that Blair and Chuck are meant to be together. If we do this, it could ruin their lives." Serena bit her lip, feeling slightly guilty.

The guilt faded away when she thought of the alternative. "Yeah, I used to think so too. Still, think of their path. It's never been smooth, and they hurt each other more than they help each other. Maybe it's never been easy for them because it's not right."

"Just because it's not easy doesn't mean it's not right." Nate argued. He paused. "Maybe you're right. If we prevent them from getting back together, we could prevent a lot of heartbreak. Okay, we'll do it." The blonde grinned.

She raised her glass as high as she could. "First," she began, "We have to get hammered. What do you say, Natie?" Nate responded by grabbing the glass from Serena and drinking the whiskey in one gulp. They both laughed and ordered another round. That night was full of laughter and plenty of alcohol. For at least one night, the two old friends could party like there was no tomorrow.

The future is scary, but that doesn't mean the present has to be.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **I didn't know where the characters were half the time. Every time I wrote a scene with Chuck in it, it was at school. Then I remembered that Chuck was suspended and he wouldn't be at school. So I changed every scene set at school to make it Central Park or on the streets instead. (Which shows you how much I know about New York.) Honestly, I spend half the time writing the story and the other half working out the plot holes I create. Keep reading!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any T.V. shows, meaning I don't own Gossip Girl either.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

"I just wanted to thank you for what you did last night. After all that's happened, I think I'm going to be okay. It's all because of you." Chuck smiled at Blair as they walked through Central Park together the next day. There was love in his eyes as he gazed at Blair. She was mesmerized by him. This was the first time she had seen him sober in an entire month. As she stared up at his face, she realized how much she had missed him.

Blair patted his arm reassuringly. "I'll be here every step of the way. You don't have to go through this alone anymore. I promise."

Again, Chuck smiled at her and Blair's heartbeat quickened. "I don't deserve you." He whispered, looking at her in adoration.

"Chuck! That's not true and you know it!" She lowered her voice. "You're a good person. You just have to believe in yourself. I believe in you." Blair caught a glimpse of Chuck's watch and gasped. "Oh no! School! If I don't leave right now I'll be late! See you soon?" she asked Chuck.

He smiled and waved. She waved back at him and hurried away. As she faded from Chuck's view, he continued to walk down the path. He thought he saw a tall girl with wavy blonde hair coming his way. Was that Serena? He wondered why Serena was walking in Central Park and not in school. She came closer and waved at Chuck.

"Chuck, I need to talk to you!" Serena rushed over to the dark-haired man. When she reached him, she began waving her arms around wildly and rambling. "You can't trust Jack! He's a bad person! He might try to kill you! I read this book in grade ten English, it was called _King Richard III_, and Richard got friendly with his two nephews, they were the heirs to the throne, and then he sent them to the Tower and killed them so he could be king! Jack would do _anything_ to get Bass Industries, he's a bad man, you don't—" She ran out of breath and gasped for air.

Throughout Serena's babbling, Chuck remained unimpressed and a little confused. He started at her with disinterest. "Serena, Serena," Chuck finally spoke. "When will you learn? This is about business, an area which I presume you have no knowledge of. My uncle knows what he's doing. He's not the most trustworthy person, but he gets the job done. Besides, nobody said anything about Bass Industries. It's probably going to Jack anyway. Stay out of it." He started to walk past her, but Serena grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.

Her blue eyes flashing with anger, Serena raged at him. "You know what Chuck, you're right. I don't know about business, but I know this: it's a crooked occupation, not to mention damn boring. There are more secrets and scandals than a teen soap opera! At times like these, you have to trust the people close to you, not the people who only pretend to be close to you because you share the same blood or because you both fall into the same social circles. Mark my words, Chuck, one day very soon you'll regret not listening to me. Until then, you'd better watch your back." With that, Serena stormed off.

Chuck stared after her. _Wow, that was weird. _He thought. Chuck put his hand to his head and groaned. He wished Serena hadn't raised her voice. His hangover was already painful enough.

Cursing herself, Serena walked to school. Getting angry was _not_ part of the plan. Also, she gave up way too soon. _I'll try again later_, she told herself. Right now she needed to figure out a better course of action.

xoxo

"Hey, Chuck!" Serena sat down next to her step-brother on one of the picnic tables in Central Park later that day. It had taken half-an-hour to find him. Nate told her Chuck liked to eat lunch in Central Park, so she had skipped the period before lunch to buy food and find Chuck. Now, she smiled brightly at him and unwrapped her lunch. He looked at her as if he'd never seen her before. "Nate told me you might be here, so I came." She added in some sort of explanation.

Chuck was still giving her that look. "Oh. I see." He looked her up and down curiously. "If you don't mind my asking, sis, why are you here? Why aren't you eating lunch with Blair?"

"What, no sexual comment?" Serena teased. Her mind raced for a good excuse that wasn't "I'm avoiding Blair right now because I found out she slept with your uncle". She reached into her bag and retrieved the pita and can of Coke she had bought for her step-brother. "Actually, I wanted to apologize. I'm sorry for the way I treated you at your father's funeral and the way I acted this morning. Here, I bought you lunch." She slid the pita and Coke across to Chuck.

He turned away. "I already ate." He muttered, gesturing to an apple core beside him on the picnic table.

His step-sister looked at him worriedly. "An _apple_, Chuck? That's not a very good lunch. I made sure they got everything you like on your pita. Come on, eat it." Reluctantly, Chuck unwrapped the paper on his pita and opened his can of Coke.

"If watching me eat turns you on _that_ much, then who am I to deprive you?" Serena grinned at his words, happy to see him acting Chuck-like again.

"Eric misses you. You should come home."

"I am home. I moved back into my suite at the Palace."

Serena was genuinely shocked at this information, although she didn't know why. It seemed pretty obvious after Chuck had publicly disowned the van der Woodsens at Bart's funeral. For some reason, she was kind of upset at the thought of Chuck moving out again. Swallowing uneasily, she tried to laugh. "Maybe now I can shower in peace." She knew her voice sounded fake when she said it.

Chuck concentrated on his lunch and didn't look up. Serena gulped. Should she mention the Jack thing again? It wasn't as if the problem would disappear if she kept quiet. No, she owed it to Chuck to warn him about his sleazy uncle.

"Um, about the conversation this morning, I know I sounded insane, but I have a good reason for not trusting Jack. You have to trust me on this one." As Serena spoke, Chuck scoffed. "Please, Chuck, this time it's different. I can't tell you how I know this, but it would be best for all of us to steer clear of Jack Bass."

Throwing his can of Coke into the garbage from where he was sitting, Chuck's face clearly showed he didn't believe her. "You need to stop watching all these crime shows on T.V. It's getting to your head." He told her dryly.

The blonde pounded her fists on the table like a child. "I wish you would just listen to me! You're such an ass!" She whined. Chuck only smirked. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. "Hey, Chuck, let's make a bet. We're going to bet on Jack. If he turns out to be innocent, you win. If he even does one single thing to prove what a snake he is, I win. Well?"

Chuck's smirk grew wider. "If I win, you have to give me a topless picture of you. The picture has to show your face as well."

"Oh my god, what is wrong with you?" Serena rolled up her pita wrapper and threw it at Chuck. "We both know that picture would end up on Gossip Girl in five minutes." She grinned. "Nevertheless, it's a deal. Let me see… if I win, you have to move back in with me, Eric, and mom."

At that, Chuck's smirk disappeared. "No fucking way! I'm not stepping foot in _that woman's_ house!"

"_That woman _is my mother, and she's really worried about you." She said quietly, averting her eyes from Chuck. "When she heard about what happened last night at Victrola, she was pretty upset. We all were."

Rolling his eyes, the young man sighed and threw his arms up in the air. "Fine, we have a bet." He leaned in close to her and winked. "Just so you know, I won't lose." The next moment, he was gone. Serena slung her bag over her shoulder and headed back to Constance Billiard. The bet was on, and Serena was confident Chuck was going to lose this one.

xoxo

Back at school, Serena spotted Blair and tried to look cheerful. She knew what she had to do. Striding over to her best friend, Serena tapped her shoulder and smiled. "Hey. I'm really sorry for how I acted yesterday. Honestly, it had nothing to do with you." Serena lied. "It's just that my family life has been hard lately. I guess I just took it out on you." Blair was confused, but she allowed Serena to walk beside her down the girls' hall.

"Apology accepted. What's going on in your family, anyway? Besides Chuck."

"I learned that Dan's a part of it."

Blair stopped and stared at her best friend. "What? Ew, that is so disgusting!"

Serena laughed. "Calm down, B. We're not related, but we do share a half-sibling. Which is why we aren't currently going out."

"Come on, S! You're better off without Humphrey-Dumpty!"

"Bye, Blair!" Serena ignored Blair's last remark and waved at her as she entered her classroom. Blair checked the clock on the wall. Class didn't start in five minutes. She decided to pop down into the boys' hall to see if she could find Chuck.

She found him almost immediately. He was talking to some guys Blair didn't know, but when he saw her, he waved off the guys and went over to Blair.

"What are you doing here, Waldorf? Did you hope to catch a glimpse of me?" He smirked his signature smirk and Blair felt herself blush.

"You wish, Bass." She couldn't look into his eyes as she said it, because that was exactly what she was hoping. How did he know her so well?

"No, you—"

He was cut off by a "Chuck! Just the guy I wanted to see!" Blair and Chuck turned to see Nate rushing down the hall towards them. Once he reached them, he pulled out two tickets. "Look what I got, man! Two tickets for the basketball game this Saturday! I got really good seats too!" He noticed Blair and smiled. "Oh, hi, Blair."

Chuck smiled. "Thanks, Nathaniel."

Nate snapped his fingers just then. "Oh yeah! We definitely need to hang out tonight! I'll be over at six!" Blair stood there silently, having long been forgotten. She didn't really mind, though. Nate was finally coming home from Brooklyn to help out his best friend. Who could object to that?

xoxo

"Well, well. I haven't seen you in a while." Blair looked up to see Chuck smirking at her. He grabbed a seat beside her and Blair smiled at him. She had been writing an essay for English class, but when Chuck sat down, she closed her notebook and gave him her full attention.

The girl played with a strand of hair as she watched him. "It does seem like we haven't talked in ages." Truthfully, it had only been three days. Nate and Serena had occupied nearly all of Blair's spare time in the last few days. She suspected that while they weren't with her, they were with Chuck. Blair was grateful for the attention they were giving him. It showed him that he wasn't all alone. He was happier every day, and Blair knew it was partially because of Nate and Serena.

Chuck smiled and held out his hand to her. "Let's take a walk." He held her hand to help her up, but he let it go immediately after. Blair walked closely beside him. She was surprised how much more relaxed he looked. He wasn't fine yet, but he was getting better. She was so busy staring into his deep brown eyes she jumped when he spoke to her. "I've been thinking a lot the past few days. Well, I've been thinking as much as I could, in between visits from Nate and Serena. They went to see me five times yesterday, and twice today."

Blair giggled. "They only visited me three times yesterday and once today. I don't know what's up with them lately. They're with me so much that I hardly have time for anything else."

"I'm starting to think that's the idea." Chuck paused and looked up at the sky. It was a clear blue for the January afternoon. He exhaled slowly. It took him a few minutes to look at Blair. "I tried to forget everything with prostitutes, both in Thailand and after I came back." Blair tensed at this. Chuck wisely neglected to mention that the last time he was with a prostitute, it was two days ago and they were interrupted by Serena and Nate visiting Chuck at his suite. "I hoped it would be enough, but it hasn't been enough in over a year. Every time I touched them, all I could think about was you. It didn't matter how hot they were. They weren't you." Blair's eyes widened with shock as she listened to his speech. He continued, unable to look at her once again.

"Blair." Without conscious thought, he held both of her hands and stared at her earnestly. "I'm not good at saying shit like this. I'm trying to say I want to give us another chance. You're the only girl that matters." Blair's eyes shone with happiness. "But—" he added nervously, "I can't say it yet. What you want me to say. Give me a little more time."

The girl leaned up to kiss him. "It's okay," she whispered in his ear. "Take all the time you need. You're mine now." Chuck smirked and held her closely. They kissed in the middle of the street, not caring who saw them. Blair and Chuck were together once again, and it had been way too long.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **First of all, I apologize for my extremely late update. I had a terrible case of writer's block for this chapter and the next one. I knew what the general idea was going to be, but I had trouble sitting down and writing them. So I wrote the last few chapters before these ones. Which means updates will be coming quicker! Yay!

Chuck is kind of naïve in this chapter, but if it all went down the way it did in the show, Blair and Chuck would break up right then (Yeah, they weren't really together, but it still felt like a break-up). Chuck is still pretty naïve here… Don't trust Jack. I want to thank my reviewers (I know I'm bad at replying to reviews—I'm trying to do better because I like reading them). A special thanks goes out to **ana-12 **for reviewing every chapter so far (I hope you're still around). I hope people keep reviewing!

P.S. Every time I think of Jack now, I keep thinking of the epic head-turn Jack, Chuck, and Nate had in episode 4x21. Ha ha!

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

Staring at the brick wall in front of him, Chuck tried to avoid Blair. It was the next day, and Chuck had just found out that his father had left him hi legacy, Bass Industries. At first he refused to take it, but Blair and Nate convinced him to try it out. "It was stupid of me to decide to run Bass Industries. I don't know what I'm doing there. I'll just run the company to the ground."

"Chuck, your father believed in you. I believe in you. Now it's your turn to believe in yourself." Blair said, looking agitated.

The dark-haired boy pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know, but it's all so overwhelming. Bart must have made a mistake. I really don't think I can do this." If he had anything else to say, he didn't get the chance to. In that instant, Blair's lips were pressed against his own.

When she pulled away, Blair smiled seductively. "Shut up. I know you'll do fine, and I'm never wrong. Ah, but right now, I have to go. Say hi to Nate for me!" She backed a few steps away, but continued to face Chuck

Chuck smiled at her. "You're coming to Jack's party tonight, right?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." She gave him an evil smirk. "Just be sure to come to my room for the _after party_." With that, she flounced down the steps. Chuck grinned after her. He was so lucky to have her.

xoxo

"I've got baad news." Serena told Nate over the phone. "Blair just told me that she and Chuck are back together! We failed, Nate!"

Nate's voice was equally distressed. "I know," he replied. "Chuck told me yesterday. Our plan to distract them from seeing each other didn't. Work. At. All!" He put emphasis on the last words.

"What are we gonna doooo?" Serena whined. "There's no way we can keep this from Chuck. He'll find out one way or another. And when he does, it'll be KA-BAM! Bye, Jack! So long, Blair!"

Nate paused on the other end of the phone. "As long as Chuck is told by the right person, it'll lessen the blow. I know what we can do, but it's still going to hurt a lot of people. No matter what, I want to save Chuck as much pain as possible."

To be perfectly honest, Serena couldn't agree more. She knew how things worked on the Upper East Side. The longer you tried to keep the past hidden, the harder it bit you in the ass later. She had bore witness to more than enough relationships destroyed by lies and secrets, and she didn't want the same to happen to Blair and Chuck. "I'm all ears."

"The plan involves you confronting Blair about New Year's Eve. You'll somehow convince her that telling Chuck is a good idea. She can tell Chuck at my party I'm throwing next week. It's the perfect setting because I'll make sure there are enough people to not pay attention to Blair and Chuck. They can talk in my bedroom and nobody will hear them or know that they're there. This will prevent the story from being leaked to Gossip Girl. Also, if things get ugly—which they will, by the way—we'll both be there to comfort our best friends." Nate sighed. There were no good outcomes to this plan, but it was better than the alternatives. "Just… make sure _Blair_ is the one to tell Chuck. If Jack tells him, who knows what will happen?"

Serena was quiet for a long time. "I don't see how Blair will ever tell Chuck for herself. How am I supposed to convince her to do _that_?" She finally demanded.

"Oh, you'll find a way. You're her best friend." Nate answered breezily.

The girl sighed over the phone. "Nate, I don't like this. I just know this is going to end badly. But I don't think we have any other choice. Fine, I'll do it. I'm not going to confront her today, but I'll do it soon. Okay?"

"Okay." Nate said as he ended the call.

xoxo

A few hours later, Chuck and Jack were drinking scotch and watching football on T.V. in Jack's suite. Jack was getting a little rowdy by this time, even though Chuck was sure his uncle only had two shots. "Why don't you have another?" Jack asked, putting his arm around Chuck and offering him the bottle of scotch. "The party doesn't start until a few more hours."

Chuck grinned and waved the bottle away. "No, I'd better be prepared for the members of the board. I really want to make a good impression. Bass Industries is a great opportunity, and I'm lucky to get to take it."

At his nephew's words, Jack's smile faded. But only for an instant. The next second, his grin returned. Of course, he had a Plan B. Don't they all? "Sure, I understand. It's a big deal for a kid like you to get such a huge break." He stood up. "Hey, why don't we have a little fun first?" Taking out a bag of cocaine from his jacket pocket, Jack winked at the younger Bass. "To get the jitters out of your system. C'mon, the board won't notice a thing."

The young man hesitated. He really did want to impress the members of the board, and getting stoned right before meeting them wasn't exactly the best way to accomplish that. On the other hand, Jack had a point. It was just a harmless way of clearing his head. The board members would have no reason to suspect anything. Without another second's thought, Chuck got up off the couch and took the cocaine from his uncle. "Why not? Are you joining me?" He smirked and waved the bag of coke around with a flourish.

"I will in a minute." Jack replied as he entered the other room. "Hey, do you want me to call some _women_ here to make it a real party?"

"I've got a girlfriend." Came the reply.

Jack smirked and sat back down on the couch. "More for me, then." However, he had no intention of calling hookers to his side at the moment. He just sat there and waited. After about five minutes, he heard a knock at the door and jumped up to answer it. Just as he expected, a few select members from the board of Bass Industries were standing just outside the door.

"We aren't early, are we?" One of the men asked, stepping into the suite. He looked around him curiously, surprised to see that nobody else was in the room.

Again, Jack smirked. "No, you're just on time." He extended his hand and shook each of their hands. "As you already know, I'm Jack Bass. I own Bass Australia. Ah, but you would like to meet my nephew, Charles, wouldn't you? He's in the next room. Follow me." He led the others to the room where Chuck was and gently pushed open the door. On Jack's part, the timing was perfect. The members of the board had a great view of the heir to Bass Industries snorting a line of cocaine. The lady gasped and straightened her glasses.

"_This_ is Charles Bass?" she choked out, shocked beyond belief. The other members mirrored he expression.

Chuck quickly looked up and saw his future crumbling into pieces. He gulped and slumped against the wall. "Oh, shit."

xoxo

The next day, at the van der Woodsen residence, Serena sat on the couch with nothing to do. Eric was hanging out with Jenny, Lily was working on papers, Blair wasn't home, Nate was out of town, and Dan was… Serena had to remind herself that it didn't matter where Dan was, because they were broken up. Out of complete boredom, she decided to text Chuck to see how he was doing.

**What R U doing?**

A reply came almost immediately.

**Not a good time.**

Serena frowned and texted another message.

**Who's with U?**

This time, Chuck's reply came a little later.

**Jack. It's an important meeting.**

Reading this, Serena put her phone down and worried. She remembered the phone call she had with Nate earlier. What if Jack told Chuck about him and Blair? She wouldn't put it past him. If that happened, then their plan would fall to pieces. Somehow, she had to prevent their meeting from going any further!

Just as she grabbed her coat, Lily came into the room. "Serena, could you help me with something? It's very important."

Her daughter groaned. "Mom, can it wait? I have to go somewhere."

Lily crossed her arms. "No, it can't wait. It should only take around twenty minutes or so."

"Twenty minutes?" Serena squeaked. By the time she got there, the meeting would be over! She thought fast. Everybody was busy, except… Dan! "Um, okay, mom, I'll be there in a minute. I just have to make a quick phone call."

The girl grabbed her phone and called Dan. He answered after the second ring. "Hello?" he asked.

"Dan, remember when I found you essay that you would have failed if I hadn't come along?" Serena began.

Dan frowned, immediately suspicious. "Yeah. What about it?"

Serena took a deep breath. "Well, I'm going to ask you for a favour, and when I do, I want you to remember how I saved your school career."

xoxo

As he walked to Bass Industries, Dan kicked a pebble in resentment. It was so stupid of him to go along with Serena's plan, especially when she refused to tell him why this was so crucial. He couldn't believe that he was actually supposed to interrupt a meeting with Chuck and his uncle and then bring Chuck with him out of the building using a massive lie. Serena even provided the lie so Dan could focus on the main task. At first, Dan was adamant about not doing any such thing, but Serena begged him. She sounded so desperate that the boy eventually conceded.

Yes, Dan's future looked bleak. Chuck was going to murder him. _Like our last encounter went so well_, Dan thought bitterly. The scene at Bart's funeral was intense (and slightly humiliating), and the writer wasn't really looking forward to a reunion with one of his least favourite people in the world.

When he reached the building, he was directed to Jack's office. It was just down the hall, but Dan opted to take the long way instead. He ran as fast as he could around the halls to make it look like he had run the whole way there. This was an important part of Serena's plan. Once he reached Jack's office, he stopped. He could make out some of what they were saying through the door.

"How does it feel to know that I took everything that you ever wanted? Everything that used to be yours." There was a small pause. "Even Blair."

Another pause. Dan struggled to hear what Chuck was going to say. "Blair wouldn't touch you." The young man answered, horrified.

"Oh yeah?" Dan couldn't see him, but he just instinctively knew that the older Bass was smirking. "Why don't you ask her about that?" At that moment, Dan remembered his mission. He didn't get the chance to hear what Chuck's response was, because he burst through the door at that moment.

Jack and Chuck looked up in surprise. Chuck stepped forward menacingly. "What are _you_ doing here?" he demanded.

"It's… it's… it's Eric!" Dan gasped dramatically. "He was just walking along the street with Serena and I, then… this kid was riding a bike. He crashed into Eric! There was a loud crunch, and blood! So much blood! He… he's been calling for you." As soon as he finished, Dan gestured towards the door. "He's in real bad shape. You'd better go to him now." Dan knew that Serena was bandaging Eric up and putting makeup on her little brother to make it seem as if the story was true.

During Dan's performance, Jack stood by quietly. He looked amused, but he also seemed annoyed at the interruption. Finally, he spoke up. "Excuse me, but we were in the middle of something important. Why don't you come back another time?" _Or maybe never._ He didn't say it, but Dan could hear the man's true message. He was about to defend himself, but Chuck put up a hand to stop his uncle.

"No. If Eric is really hurt, then I'd better go. He has no reason to lie about this. We can continue or meeting some other time." Chuck was talking to Jack, but he was staring at Dan the entire time. The look in his eye was calculating. Dan felt a cold sweat come over him.

"Uh, let's go, then." Dan said to Chuck. Before he left the room, he turned to Jack. "Sorry to interrupt your meeting." The two boys left the building in uncomfortable silence. Now that the worst was over, Dan felt relieved. It wasn't until much later that he remembered the bit of Jack and Chuck's conversation he had overheard and began to figure out what it meant.

xoxo

"Chuck!" Blair exclaimed once Chuck told her what had happened. "How stupid can you be?" They were sitting in Blair's penthouse later that day, and Blair was shocked to learn what Jack had done the night before. Last night, Chuck had called her and told her that the party was cancelled, but he didn't give her any more details. Now he had just finished telling her about the morality clause and Jack's new ownership of Bass Industries. Blair finally understood the severity of the problem.

Chuck ran a hand through his hair angrily. "I didn't know Jack was going to set me up!" He said defensively. "How could I have known?"

"You should have known better than to trust Jack! He's nothing but trouble!" Blair replied, clearly upset with the situation.

As soon as Blair said this, Chuck stopped. "Why do I seem to be out of the loop? Serena told me not to trust Jack, Nate told me not to trust Jack, and now you're telling me not to trust Jack. He's _my_ uncle! Why does everybody else know so much more about him than me?"

Blair bit her lip nervously. "Well," she began, a few seconds too late and in a much gentler voice, "we know a bad guy when we see it. It's not like you were ever convinced he was a great guy, either. You just needed to trust him because he's your legal guardian."

However, Chuck didn't appear convinced. Hew frowned a little and took Blair's arm. "There was something else, too." The girl looked into Chuck's serious eyes and knew something was bothering him. Without another word, she took his hand and held it with her own. Chuck spoke in a low voice, full of vulnerability. "Jack said something that worried me. I know it can't possibly be true, but…" He took a deep breath. "Jack implied that you and he… might have _done something_ together."

The brunette paled. "W-what?" she stammered. "That's completely ridiculous! Honestly, Chuck, I can't believe you would actually take one of Jack's lies seriously! You should know me better than that." She squeezed his hand for extra reassurance.

At his girlfriend's words, Chuck smiled. He was visibly relieved, and Blair felt a pang of guilt for lying to him. Still, it was the only way they could stay together. She smiled back. Yes, they were going to say together. Forever. "I knew he was lying." Chuck whispered, staring at her in wonder. His gaze was full of love.

Blair kissed him softly. "Don't worry about Jack. We'll find a way to get your company back." She moved closer to Chuck and sat in his lap, only to plant more kisses on his lips. "I promise."

Chuck was enjoying her kisses very much, but then he gently stopped her. "Before we go any further, I want to tell you about the day I had." Blair listened with impatience, but she was smiling. "I was talking to Jack, and then Humphrey came out of nowhere. He told me that Eric was injured…"


	7. Chapter 7

****Author's Note: ****The writers have always played around with Chuck's insecurity with Blair and Jack (2x15-promo, at least, 2x25, 3x07, 3x17, 3x18, 4x07, 4x21), but they never really explored it. It's bad enough that Blair got off scot-free, but I was also disappointed to see them tease Chuck's insecurities on several occasions later on, but never putting his insecurities into words. Now that Jack has sort of been redeemed, I can't see them ever dealing with this storyline properly. Sigh.

**Disclaimer:** I really don't see why I'm still putting this up, but I thought, "Why not?" So yeah, I don't own anything. Still.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

"So, I heard your uncle set you up to lose the company. That sounds pretty dirty to me. Remember the bet we made about Jack? It looks like I win!" Serena sat down next to Chuck on a bench downtown. She put on a smug face, but inside she felt sympathy for Chuck. However, she knew that if she showed any sympathy, Chuck would read her immediately and he wouldn't move back in with the van der Woodsens. She had to play her cards right.

Chuck turned away from his step-sister angrily. "Just leave me alone." he muttered. Throughout the whirlwind of actions that had occurred over the last few days, their bet had never even registered in his mind. On top of everything else, he really didn't need the extra stress of dealing with the van der Woodsens right now.

Grinning, Serena played with her Constance Billiard tie. "Mom and Eric will be really surprised to see you back." This wasn't exactly true, because Serena told them that Chuck was thinking about moving back in with them yesterday. She didn't see the harm in telling a little white lie. "You know, living with us can have its advantages." she told him slowly and calculatingly.

The boy rolled his eyes. "I assure you, you can easily be replaced."

"I highly doubt that. Anyways, it has _other_ advantages. Like, oh, getting your company back." Serena hid a smile as she took in Chuck's expression.

"How can it possibly help get Bass Industries back?"

"Well, you know how Jack is your legal guardian and therefore has control of the company. What if he wasn't?"

At this, Chuck stared hard at the blonde beside him. "What does that have to do with anything? The problem is that he _is_. As long as Jack has control, I'm screwed."

"Well, consider yourself un-screwed. My mom told me a very interesting piece of news." She paused for effect. "It turns out that she adopted you."

Chuck was shocked. "What? When?"

"Before Bart died, my mom and he agreed to adopt each other's children, to make it more of a family. She didn't mention it before because she forgot about it until yesterday." Serena crossed her arms and stared up at the sky, waiting for her step-brother to respond.

Chuck pondered this information for a few seconds. Finally, he conceded. "I suppose I'm going to have to speak to Lily about this."

His step-sister smiled widely. "I can help you pack your bags."

xoxo

"Charles! We're so pleased to have you back." Lily exclaimed when Chuck walked through the door, with Serena behind him.

Chuck wasn't in the mood to act like they were a family, and he made sure Lily knew this. "The only reason I'm here is to save Bass Industries from my uncle. You'll have to excuse my reluctance to pretend we're a big, happy family."

Lily faltered for a second, but she was expecting this. "Oh, I understand. I called Jack over here a few minutes ago, and he should be here soon. After he finds out about the company, I doubt he'll stay here any longer." Chuck looked relieved.

Just then, Jack walked through the door. Lily silently cursed his bad manners and put on a sunny disposition to greet him. "Jack! We were just talking about you!" She walked over to him and smiled. "What time is your flight?"

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere. I have a company to take care of, after all." Jack grinned, glancing at his nephew. Chuck looked at him with an unreadable expression.

"What company? Do you mean my father's legacy? Hmmm… It seems that it's no longer yours to control." Chuck answered in a toneless voice.

Before Jack could respond, Lily cut in. "My son will have complete control of Bass Industries as soon as he turns eighteen. You may as well go home now, Jack. There's nothing you can do here anymore."

"I can't believe you guys." Jack started to laugh, but abruptly stopped once he realized nobody else was joining him. " You can't be serious. That's mine… I waited all my life for this… It's not yours to take!" His eyes took on a whole new personality. He didn't even appear to notice anybody else in the room as he grabbed Lily's neck. "You can't have it. It's all mine!" He didn't notice the look of terror on her face, but the others did. Serena moved to stop him, but Chuck stepped in front of her.

The young man stepped in between his uncle and Lily and took Lily away. Then he punched Jack as hard as he could. The older man staggered a bit, but stayed upright. "It's over." Chuck told him. Nobody knew how over it really was.

Once Jack left, Eric came up to Chuck. Chuck wondered when Eric had entered the room, because this was the first time he saw him that day. Eric put his hand on his big brother's shoulder. "I'm glad you're home." Eric told him quietly. Chuck smiled at his younger brother. For the first time in forever, he felt like he was home.

xoxo

Later that night, at the party, Blair immediately found Chuck and touched his arm. Chuck whirled around to find his girlfriend smiling up at him. He grinned and kissed her softly. "How do you like the party so far?" he murmured.

"It was pretty boring until I found you." Blair answered, fixing her bowtie. She marveled at how his bowties always seemed to match her dresses. "I'm glad you moved back in with the van der Woodsens. Have you made up with Lily yet?"

Chuck's smile disappeared. "I'm working on it."

"I'm so happy for you." Blair said happily. The couple talked and kissed for a while until Nate waved Chuck over. Chuck reluctantly slipped away to join his best friend at the bar.

Chuck and Nate filled each other in on their activities over the last few days. Suddenly, Nate saw Serena walk past them. "Just a second, man. I have to do something quickly," he told Chuck. The young man jumped off the stool and ran to catch up with his blonde friend.

"Serena!" He called her over. Serena walked over to him, looking uncomfortable. Nate appeared not to notice. "So, what did Blair say when you talked to her about it?" Serena fidgeted and refused to meet Nate's eyes. "_Serena_. You _did_ talk to her, didn't you?" At Serena's silence, Nate heaved a loud sigh. "We had a plan, remember? I held my end of the deal. Now you have to hold yours. _Talk to her_."

"I know, but—"

"No buts. Talk to Blair right now. She's at the party. Go look for her." With that, Nate gave her a gentle shove and walked back to Chuck. Serena glared at his retreating figure resentfully. Nate was _so_ unfair!

xoxo

Scanning the room for her best friend, Serena was getting annoyed. She wanted to be anywhere else than at the party at the moment. This conversation was going to be brutal. Once she spotted Blair near the refreshment table, she stalked over to her. Before Blair even noticed Serena's presence, the taller girl was already moving her aside from the other guests. She ignored Blair's protests as she moved Blair a little farther away from the other guests at the party. Serena was so focused on Blair, she didn't notice that Vanessa just arrived near the refreshment table and was eating chocolate cupcakes.

Blair was still protesting after Serena let go of her. Serena was tired of keeping it a secret, so she just blurted it out. "Blair, I know what you did on New Years Eve." she told the smaller girl. She crossed her arms and looked almost angry. Blair glared at her.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Blair said, not meeting Serena's stare. She turned and attempted to leave. "Now if you'll excuse me, I want to say hello to the other guests at the party."

The blonde, however, wasn't in the mood for games. "I know about you and Jack." She called to Blair just as she was about to leave. Blair froze.

She turned around, looking terrified. It felt like all the blood had drained from her face. "How did you find out?" she managed to whisper.

Serena looked away for a few seconds. "I followed you two up from the Palace Bar. I thought something strange was going on, and I was right." At Blair's indignant face, Serena shook her head. "I know I probably shouldn't have invaded your privacy, but we have bigger problems to worry about right now. What are you going to do if Chuck finds out?"

Blair shook her head violently. "Chuck won't find out. Jack already left the continent. Nobody else knows. I won't tell him, and you'd better not either."

"Well, actually, I told Nate." Serena squirmed uncomfortably at Blair's look of anger. "But, B, it doesn't matter if we won't tell. This is the Upper East Side. Word gets around. Trying to keep a secret here is like trying to swim away from a hurricane. Besides, it's not like you chose a very private place to betray the boy you love. He lives in that building, you know."

She knew the last part was a low blow. Blair's eyes widened in shock. "I can't believe you just said that." She whispered tersely.

Serena wanted to comfort Blair, but at that moment she was still too angry that she was actually having this conversation to care much. "B, just tell me one thing: Did you sleep with Jack or did you stop before it got that far?" At Blair's silence, she got her answer. The brunette looked completely defeated. Again, Serena felt the urgent need to protect her. "Please listen to me. This will get out eventually. It will be less painful if you tell Chuck yourself. If he hears it from you, you can offer an explanation that Gossip Girl can't. He also has to give you some credit that you came clean instead of him finding out some other way." Blair was far from convinced. Serena sighed. "This is the best way to go. Why won't you just tell him?" Both girls were so preoccupied in their conversation, they didn't notice Vanessa sneaking away.

The reply came in a barely audible whisper. "I don't want Chuck to hate me."

As she took in Blair's facial expression, Serena softened towards her best friend. "Oh, B, Chuck could never hate you. You know that."

"I don't know anything anymore."

Serena gently took both of Blair's hands. "Promise me you'll tell him. Nate is throwing a party next week. We planned that you could tell him there, _alone_. It may seem hopeless, but you two have gotten through more obstacles than any couple I've ever seen before. I believe you can get through this."

The brunette turned her head away. It was easy for Serena to say these things when she didn't feel either the guilt or the betrayal. Serena would certainly feel differently if she found out Dan had slept with her Aunt Carol. She would raise hell and leave Dan as a squashed cabbage leaf. How could Chuck ever forgive her for _this_?

On the other hand, she had a sick feeling that he would find out eventually. She remembered how Nate had lied for over six months about cheating on her with Serena. After all that time, it wasn't just the act itself; it was all the lies and broken promises that destroyed the relationship. Chuck would be even more upset if he found out that she had kept it from him for so long. No, if they had any chance of getting past this, waiting was not an option.

"Promise." Serena repeated, staring seriously into Blair's eyes.

Blair sighed, feeling like a prisoner being sent to the gallows. "I promise," she finally answered.

This was one promise she didn't know if she could keep.

xoxo

Vanessa took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them, the unsent text she had typed for Gossip Girl was still there. This was it. This was the revenge she had been craving for. This was the line that she was about to cross. Somehow, revenge didn't feel as sweet as thought it would. With this piece of information, she had the power to ruin relationships and make people feel miserable, and it would be their own faults. She wasn't responsible for any of it. She was only the messenger. It wasn't her fault that other people decided to screw up their lives.

Yet it all felt so _dirty_. They were happy. Blair was only hiding a secret that was in the past. Letting her secret out would cause a lot of unnecessary pain. It would also destroy her relationship with Nate. Was all of this really worth it?

On the other hand, Chuck had a right to know. Vanessa tried to pretend that this was the main reason she should tip Gossip Girl and not because she wanted revenge. Besides, it wasn't as if Chuck would believe her if she told him herself. He would probably believe Gossip Girl.

The Brooklyn girl turned over her phone again and again, trying to decide what to do. This wasn't who she was. She was above this. At the same time, Vanessa was tired of trying to keep her morals while everybody around her did whatever the hell they wanted and got off scot-free. She was always on the outside, and she was so _sick_ of it. Doing this wouldn't put her on the inside, but it would show everybody that she wasn't a person they should mess with.

_This is wrong_, Vanessa thought. _This isn't the person I want to be. But will it really change who I am as a person? Blair and Chuck have this coming. Why shouldn't I be the one to serve them their punishment? But I want to like myself. Can I really like myself if I do this? I don't know what I should do!_

Finally, after ten more minutes of trying to figure out her conflicted emotions, Vanessa nodded to herself. She knew what she was going to do.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: **So, this is the chapter where Chuck finally finds out. An alternate name for this chapter could be "Chuck Gets Mad". I'm pretty proud of it, myself. This is the climax of the story. A lot of things go down, so be sure not to miss it! Unfortunately, Nate doesn't really do much from now on. Sounds like the show, doesn't it? Just read it!

Yes, I did randomly insert Vanessa into the story just to have a "villain", because I needed one. Surprisingly, I don't hate her. She was never my favourite character by any stretch, but I think I'm going to miss her. I really liked her friendship with Dan. Too bad they mutilated it.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

The stars were so bright that night. Blair stared out from the balcony and marveled at them. It was a miracle that she could see the stars at all, seeing as the entire day had been overcast. The clouds must have disappeared sometime after nightfall. The girl tried to count the stars, but there were too many and it was too confusing, so she gave up and just stared at them. She was desperately trying to waste time so Chuck wouldn't find her. She just didn't see how she could possibly face him right now.

_How did I let Serena talk me into this?_ Blair thought miserably. _There's no way I can tell Chuck I had sex with his uncle. He'll never look at me again. Still, Jack could tell him anytime. He almost told him already. I least if I tell him, I'll have a chance to explain. _Then she began to argue with herself. _Explain? Explain what? It's no use! Chuck will never understand! It's all so hopeless!_

"I thought I'd find you here." Blair spun around to see a beaming Chuck standing on the balcony. "What are you doing? You just kind of vanished a few minutes after we got here."

Blair was caught off guard with Chuck's sudden appearance. "Uh," she stammered, "I just needed a breath of fresh air. Excuse me; I have to use the washroom." Blair breezed past Chuck as fast as she could. She knew he was suspicious, but she couldn't confess at that moment. It just wasn't the right time. She needed a little more time to think.

Beyond confused at Blair's behaviour, Chuck walked back into the party. Blair had been acting flustered all week, and he was staring to think it was something he did. He racked his brain for something he did wrong, but he couldn't think of anything. Maybe it was just Blair being Blair. He saw Nate sitting down with a beer and some of his friends from his lacrosse team. When he noticed Chuck, he waved his beer bottle at him to come over.

"Chuck! Let's go somewhere more private!" Nate yelled once Chuck was close enough. He held up a joint. Chuck grinned and walked with his best friend to a quiet place outside. After about twenty minutes of getting high, Nate noticed that Chuck wasn't smoking. "Hey, man, are you feeling okay? You seem upset about something."

His friend nodded slowly. "It's Blair. She's been acting funny all week. I think I did something wrong, but I don't know what. Do you have any clues, Nathaniel?"

Nate had a few too many clues about what was going on, but he feigned innocence. "Well, Blair's a complicated woman. You should talk to her about it and make sure everything's okay. She needs you, man. If you really love her, you should do something about it."

At this, Chuck's face lit up into a smile. "Yeah, I love her. You know what, Nathaniel, I think I'm finally ready to tell her. We've been going out for almost two weeks, and she's been with me through a lot. Not to mention I've loved her for over a year. All my insecurities seem to vanish when I'm with Blair." He turned to Nate excitedly. "I'm going to tell her right now! See you later!"

Nate's smile faltered. "Dude, (it was only when Nate was high as a kite that he would utter that word), do you really want to tell Blair you love her right now? It's late and it'll be all over Gossip Girl within seconds. Maybe you should wait."

"No, I've already waited too long. I'm ready this time." Chuck looked so happy as he left Nate to find Blair. Nate hated Blair in that moment. Just a little. Blair was going to break his best friend's heart, _again_. Nate knew he was being a hypocrite because he had hurt Chuck more than enough times over the years. He was a horrible friend to Chuck, but _damn it_, there should be somebody in the world who would never hurt Chuck. Chuck Bass had a fucking heart, and it was about time people stopped stomping on it.

xoxo

Blair's heart skipped a beat when she saw Chuck coming towards her. He had a huge smile on his face as he made his way to her. She smiled back at him. When he was about ten feet away, everybody's phones suddenly beeped. Blair gulped. _It's Gossip Girl!_ She thought wildly. Gossip Girl could have been reporting anything, but somehow Blair knew what it was about. She just _knew_.

Chuck stopped to get out his cell phone and read the message. The other guests at Nate's party did the same, except for Blair. She stood rooted to the spot, too scared to read the message for herself. Instead, she regarded Chuck's facial expressions as he read the blast. At first, his face was neutral. After that, he looked shocked. His face went pale. Then, his face contorted in rage. With a murderous glare at Blair, he turned around and stalked away.

Blair's heart cracked.

Everybody in the room turned to stare at Blair. She tried as hard as she could not to cry. Slowly, she reached into her purse to retrieve her phone. She read the blast mechanically, unable to feel anything.

**It's barely 2009 and already I have a scandal to report. What was B doing on New Year's Eve? Or rather, **_**who**_** was she doing? My sources say it was Bass. I also happen to know that C was out of town at the time. At least she kept it in the family. Say uncle, B!**

Serena! She did this! Blair shoved her phone back in her pocket and scanned the room to look for the bubbly blonde. She was talking to Dan in a quiet corner. Seething with anger, Blair walked over to them.

"B! Are you oka-" Before Serena could finish her sentence, Blair grabbed her drink and threw in on the floor. The glass shattered and the drink spilled everywhere. Dan backed away, looking frightened. "What was that for? Calm down!" Serena shouted at her best friend.

"How could you?" Blair yelled into Serena's face. "I trusted you to keep this a secret, and then you went and posted it all over Gossip Girl! This is all your fault! You ruined my life! Why did you do it, Serena? You—you two-faced bitch!" Blair shoved Serena as hard as she could.

The taller girl stumbled back a few steps, but she firmly gripped Blair's shoulders. "Blair, listen to me! I did _not _do this! I don't know how Gossip Girl found out, but I didn't send the tip! If you told Chuck sooner, maybe the entire room wouldn't know about your sex life!" Blair punched and kicked, but Serena still held onto her.

Throughout this skirmish, Dan looked confused. "Wait, so what Gossip Girl said was true? Oh my god!"

"Shut up!" Both girls screamed at him.

"I'll kill you for this, Serena!"

"How many times to I have to say I had nothing to do with this? This is stupid!"

"Serena's right. She didn't send the tip to Gossip Girl." Blair, Serena, and Dan turned to see Vanessa standing behind them. "I did." The three of them gasped. Vanessa looked at them with shame and remorse. "I'm sorry. The second I sent it, I felt guilty. I overheard Blair and Serena at Lily's party last week. I wanted to get even for the trick Blair and Chuck pulled on me, and I finally had the ammunition to do it. It was a mistake." Vanessa's voice cracked at the end. "At least the truth is out in the open now." She added. They watched her leave the room, stunned.

Blair had been too shocked to do anything to Vanessa while she was there. She couldn't believe that Vanessa was behind this, but she had more important things to worry about. After she left, Blair turned back to Serena and Dan. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you, S. R- right now I'm going to try to find Chuck. I'll see you a little bit later." She ran off in the direction Chuck went in, hoping he was still there. Serena only nodded in understanding. She knew things weren't going to be easy for her best friend.

xoxo

Serena was still deep in thought about what just happened when Dan interrupted her thinking. "You knew about this for weeks and you didn't even tell me? So that's why you were so preoccupied recently. You even got me to go to Chuck's house to prevent him from finding out. Serena, you could have told me. I would have helped if I knew. You didn't have to deal with all of this by yourself."

The blonde bit her lip. "Well, actually, I told Nate. He helped me a lot."

"What?" Dan shook his head. "You told Nate and you didn't tell me? When you called me to help with your plan, I had a right to know. No matter how much closer we seem to be getting, you always keep things from me. This was bothering you for weeks, and when I asked you what was wrong, you just kept lying to me." Dan sighed. "Wow. I was stupid to think it could ever change."

After Dan's rant, Serena felt herself getting angry. No. Dan didn't get to do this. She was right for doing what she did, and Dan didn't get to tell her otherwise. "Dan, we are _not_ going through this again. For once in your life, something happened and it had nothing to do with you. If I told you what was going on, I would be betraying my best friend. I told Nate because he had more of a right to know than you. He actually cares about Blair and Chuck, unlike you. You don't even like them. I needed advice and he was the best person to go to. This has nothing to do with me choosing Nate over you, or shutting you out, so don't even start." Dan was flabbergasted as he listened to Serena's speech. Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair and looked at the boy. "You're my friend, Dan. If I though you could help, I would have told you. But this was none of your business. Goodbye. I have a best friend to check up on."

Dan was still stunned as he stood alone in the corner. Serena had chosen her childhood friends over her new ones, and Dan knew he had to do the same. He rushed outside to find Vanessa. _Please tell me she's still here_, Dan silently prayed.

He found her sitting on a bench in Nate's backyard. She was wiping away her tears when Dan sat down next to her. She gave him a shaky laugh. "I'm such an idiot, such a selfish idiot."

Her best friend wrapped his arm around her. "Yeah, you are." Vanessa stared at him incredulously. "But so am I." He added, handing her a Kleenex. "We're just a pair of imbeciles. What is wrong with us?"

"I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it can't be repaired." Vanessa turned to look at Dan. "Nate broke up with me a few minutes ago. He said what I did was horrible and he didn't see how he could go out with me anymore."

Dan nodded in understanding. "I was just verbally bitch-slapped by Serena. The worst thing is, she's right."

"We really fucked it up this time, didn't we?" Vanessa asked. Dan nodded again. "I thought I'd be heartbroken when Nate dumped me, but I actually feel relieved. Being single is the best thing for me right now." She paused for a few moments. "Did you see Blair's face after the Gossip Girl blast was released? I felt guilty right after I sent the tip, but after I saw her, I just wanted to fall into a ditch and never come back. She looked absolutely _devastated_, Dan! She didn't even get angry at me or try to get even. I think she really loves Chuck."

"We were _so_ wrong about Blair and Chuck." Dan said, rubbing his head.

"We were _so _wrong about a lot of things. We're not better than them, Dan. We should just stop pretending." Vanessa added.

Dan suddenly leaped off the bench and took Vanessa's hand. "I think the Brooklyn trash should head back to Brooklyn and order some pizza. What do you say, fellow degenerate?" Vanessa laughed and walked with him.

"I get to choose the movie this time." She told Dan as they walked down to the subway station. Brooklyn was home.

xoxo

"Chuck." Blair had found him in Nate's bedroom. He was sitting on Nate's bed, staring blankly at the wall. When Blair called his name, he didn't look up. She crept closer to him, and he finally stared up at her face.

"Tell me it's not true. Tell me that Gossip Girl is lying." Chuck pleaded. Blair didn't say anything. Chuck got up off the bed and turned away from her. "So it's true then. You really did sleep with my uncle. Fucking whore."

Blair felt as if Chuck had slapped her. "No… It wasn't like that. You weren't there. I- it just happened…"

"So you just _happened _to fuck Jack?" Chuck whirled around and yelled at her. "If I'd known what a slut you were, I wouldn't have gone out with you."

The girl's face turned red with anger and shame. "Oh, like _you_ have any right to lecture me about sluts!" Her voice trembled along with her body. "Chuck, please. I'm sorry about Jack, but I was lonely, and you weren't there… We weren't even together then, so it's not really a big deal…"

Chuck stepped closer to Blair. His demeanor was menacing, and his smile didn't reach his eyes. Blair froze as he stroked her hair. "Was he better than me? Did he _satisfy_ you?" His voice dripped with venom.

"No, you're better. Always you." Blair whispered.

The man leaned in closer to her; so close she could feel his breath on her face. "That's too bad. I hoped it was worth it, because you must have thought it was worth losing me." All of a sudden, he stepped back. "Goodbye, Blair."

"W-what are you talking about? You can't just leave!" Blair was panicking now. She couldn't lose Chuck, not after all they'd been through!

"Yes I can." Chuck was already walking towards the door. In desperation, Blair stepped forward and grabbed his arm. Immediately, he jerked away. "Get off of me!"

She felt the tears pricking behind her eyes, but she fought them off. "I love you." She whispered. He didn't even blink.

"That's a lie. If you loved me, you wouldn't have done _this_." As he spoke, Blair shook her head, tears welling in her large brown eyes. He ignored her and gave a short, bitter laugh. "I can't believe I actually believed you at first. How stupid of me." As he opened the door to leave, he gave one last look at his (ex) girlfriend, who was now openly crying. "It's funny. Before the blast came, I was going to tell you I love you. Now…" he gave her a look of such cold indifference Blair was sure she was turned to stone, "who knows if that's even true anymore."

The door slammed behind Blair as she began sobbing uncontrollably. She lay down on Nate's bed and stayed there for what seemed like forever. In reality, it was only twenty minutes.

After she stopped crying, she left Nate's room to find Serena and go home. When she entered the living room, she froze. On the couch, Chuck was shoving his tongue down some random girl's throat. Both of them were so into it, they didn't notice anybody else around them. It was all Blair could do not to burst into tears again. She walked past them and out the front door without saying goodbye to Serena and Nate. She walked to her penthouse, refusing to cry any more that night. It's not like it would do her an ounce of good, anyway.

Her heart was shattered, and this time it was her fault.

* * *

><p>P.S. The chapter might seem anti-Blair, but that's not my intention at all. I promise it will get better. The only part that I'd consider anti-Blair is the part where Nate is thinking about how angry he is with her. Chuck and Nate are best friends, though, and come on, bros before hoes (How dare you? Blair is a nice lady!).<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

****Author's Note: ****Well, this chapter wasn't particularly cheery. Except for the scene in the very beginning, it was pretty dreary. However, everything that was said in this chapter needed to be said. If you're reading, don't stop! Thanks!

**Disclaimer:** Not yet, not yet...

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

As her step-brother walked (stumbled is more like it) over to the front door with a drunken wave, Serena felt a pain in her heart. It had been like this for days. Chuck would go out at all hours of the day and wouldn't be back for hours. When he _was_ home, he wouldn't acknowledge the van der Woodsens at all. He'd mostly stay in his room and do whatever Chuck did when he was upset. Nobody could get through to him. Serena wondered if Chuck ever cried. She guessed she'd never find out.

"I'm off on another long journey." Chuck slurred to Serena. "Say hi to Lily and Eric for me."

The blonde crossed her arms. "Chuck. It's not even eight o'clock yet. You don't need to be consuming any more alcohol right now. Why don't you just stay home today?"

Chuck pretended to think about it. Then he swatted his hand at the air. "I'm not really in the mood for that. My people await." He slammed the door shut behind him.

_What people, Chuck?_ Serena sat down on a nearby chair and sighed. She wished Chuck was dealing with his pain in a healthy manner, but that's not how he handled things. He always had to live on the edge and pretend he never got sad. It wasn't like Blair was doing any better. No matter how many "I'm fine"s Serena heard, she knew Blair enough to know that she wasn't fine. Blair missed Chuck. Chuck missed Blair. It shouldn't have to hurt so much.

Getting up, Serena decided to visit Blair and see how she was doing. She yanked on her boots and stalked over to the door. Just as she opened it, Dan was at the other side, his hand posed to knock. "Dan!" she exclaimed, smiling despite herself. "What are you doing here?"

Dan marched in, waving his hands in the air wildly. "I was wrong last night. I'm sorry for the way I acted, it's just… Just…" He banged his head against the wall. "Damn it! Why can't I just say it? Serena, the truth is—"

"Do you still have feelings for me?" Serena blurted. Dan looked up at her, shocked. The girl turned red and held her hand over her mouth. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to be so arrogant, but it sounded like that's where this conversation was going…"

Before she could say anything else, Dan walked towards her. He smiled the way he only smiled for her. The sparkle in his brown eyes matched the sparkle in Serena's blue eyes. "Yes. I still love you. The reason I was so upset that you told Nate and not me was because I was jealous. I want you to tell me when you're feeling upset or confused. I want you to confide in me, and I want to help. Even if I can't help, I still want you to tell me. Every time you tell me what you're really thinking, you let me see a little more of Serena van der Woodsen. I want to see you. When you're feeling angry or sad, I want to know. I want you to trust me and let me in. I understand why you didn't tell me about Blair, but I still felt hurt that you didn't even trust me enough to tell me the truth about how you were feeling."

The girl in front of him smiled, but then she bit her lip. "Oh Dan, I still love you too. I wanted to tell you about how miserable I was, I really did, but I was so upset over it I didn't know what to do. I was even more confused when we began hanging out again and I realized my feelings for you never went away. It just seems that we can't move past our tangled family life."

Dan rubbed his head, looking torn. "I know. Maybe we shouldn't go out again. I just wanted you to know how I felt. Everything just got so weird now that we share a half-sibling. It scares me, Serena. I don't know what to do. Maybe it's not enough that we love each other. Maybe it's better if we both move on."

She cupped his face with both of her hands. "Dan Humphrey. You just told me you loved me, now you want to move on? I'm scared too, but I love you, and that's enough for me. I know we can do this. We're lucky. We both love each other, and we actually have a fighting chance. Why do we keep finding reasons to not get together when the reason for being together is right here? Sometimes love isn't enough to keep two people together, but how will we know if we don't try?"

"Okay, okay!" Dan laughed. "Serena van der Woodsen, will you be my girlfriend for the third time now?"

Serena giggled and kissed him. "Yes, Dan Humphrey, I would be delighted." This was it. This was the way things were supposed to be. S and Lonely Boy were together again, and everything was right in the world. Well, maybe not _everything_.

Remembering her not-so-happy best friend, the blonde broke the kiss and smiled at Dan; somewhat apologetically, somewhat passionately. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. Blair needs me. You can stay here if you want, or we can meet up some other time." Dan looked disappointed, but he grinned anyway.

"I think I'll just wait here. Try not to be too long." With that, Dan walked over to the couch and lounged on it lazily.

"I'll try." Serena kissed her boyfriend once more before heading out the door. She only wished her talk with Blair would be as successful as her talk with Dan was.

xoxo

"I told you, S, I'm fine. How many times are you going to visit me to cheer me up? I'm great. In fact, I've never felt better." Blair stalked around her bedroom, trying to give herself some space from her irritating best friend.

Serena was sitting cross-legged on Blair's bed. She looked exasperated, but she refused to give up. "B, I can see right through your weak façade. Are you trying to fool me or are you trying to fool yourself?" She sighed in frustration. "You and Chuck are both too stubborn for you own good. You always pretend you never get hurt and you keep your feelings bottled up inside. It's not helping anybody, you know."

At the mention of Chuck's name, Blair looked alarmed. "Is he okay? I wish I could do something to make him better, but I can't this time, can I?" Blair looked at Serena with such vulnerability and sorrow that Serena's heart ached. She just wanted to hold the brunette tight and tell her everything would be okay. But it wouldn't make Blair's nightmare go away.

"Chuck's been doing as well as can be expected." Serena said gently. "He still won't talk to you, will he?"

"I refused to be weak about this. After filling up his voicemail the same night of Nate's party last week and being unable to get in to either his suite at the Palace or the van der Bass household, I decided that it would be best to let Chuck come around." The girl gave a hollow laugh. "I guess we know how well that worked out."

Blair lay down onto her bed and Serena began stroking her hair. "Oh, B, I'm so sorry. If it makes you feel better, Chuck has been celibate since you two broke up." At this, Blair snorted in a very unladylike fashion.

"Yeah, right. He really gave off that impression when his tongue was down that bitch's throat at the party." She started off strong, but her voice cracked at the end.

Serena bit her lip. She had hoped that Blair hadn't seen Chuck making out with the other girl, but it looked like she had. "Yeah, but it wasn't—I mean, it _was_, but it didn't go farther than that. Chuck returned home alone after the party, and every night since, he's been alone."

The other girl smiled a little after hearing this, but it didn't console her for long. It was only a matter of time before he became Manhattan's favourite womanizer again. Soon, Blair would become a distant memory to him. _No! _Blair shut her eyes to block out her thoughts. _That can't happen!_ _Stop thinking about it! _She commanded herself.

"I love him, S. I love him so much." Blair whispered. Serena didn't respond. The two girls lay on Blair's bed in silence for a long time. All thoughts of boys and heartbreak left their minds as they sought comfort in each other's embrace. It was wonderful to know that no matter what, they would always have each other.

xoxo

Nate leaned over Chuck's shoulder curiously. "What are you doing?" Chuck was on Serena's profile on Facebook. Her wall was completely filled with stupid messages from him, and he was in the middle of typing another.

Chuck jumped at the sound of Nate's voice. He whirled around to face his best friend. "Nathaniel? When did you get here? More to the point, _how_ did you get in here?"

The other guy shrugged, a huge grin spreading over his face. "The door was unlocked, so I thought I'd let myself in." He grabbed a chair and sat down next to Chuck. "Well, you seem to be doing a little better. You haven't slowed down on the scotch, though." He added with a quick glance at the glass of amber liquid on the table between the two boys.

The dark-haired boy let out an incomprehensible noise. "This is the way I like living. I had a few obstacles that lead me off the path of my true desires, but I now realize that this is the only way to live. There's nothing better."

Nate didn't seem very convinced. "You miss her." He said quietly.

"After what she did? You have got to be kidding, Nathaniel."

"You do miss her. It's all over your face."

Chuck sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "If I admit that I do miss her, will you leave me alone?"

Tilting his head back, Nate pretended to think it over for a few moments. Then he grinned at Chuck. "Nope, sorry. I'm not going anywhere. Somebody's got to cheer you up, and it may as well be me." Suddenly, his expression turned serious. "Man, Blair has been miserable since that night. I know what she did, but she really regrets it. She… she doesn't look very well."

Despite his intentions to remain indifferent, Chuck turned to Nate with a look of horror. "She's not…?"

"No, I'm pretty sure she's not doing _that_ again. Serena would have said something." Nate assured him quickly. "But she looks pretty upset. I mean, she tries to hide it, but it's pretty obvious she feels guilty about what happened."

Chuck was silent for a long time. He stared at the clock on the opposite wall with an unreadable expression on his face. Finally, still staring at the clock with the same facial expression, he spoke. "I called her a whore and a slut. No matter how guilty or upset she is or pretends to be, she won't come back after that."

The other boy was slightly taken aback, but he tried not to show it. "Chuck, why did you…"

"Why did I say it?" Chuck laughed harshly. "I don't fucking know. I was angry and devastated. I wanted to hurt her. I thought that it would be better for both of us if I just ended it now instead of having it drag out even longer. I just want to forget her and move on."

Even if he tried, Nate couldn't stop the next words from coming out of his mouth. "Blair loves you." His best friend turned on him angrily.

"You call that love? She slept with my uncle—who, by the way, is out to destroy my life—while I was grieving over my father's death and kept it from me for weeks. She even lied to me about it! You don't do that to somebody you _love_." Chuck was nearly shouting now. After he was done, he clenched his jaw and took another gulp of his scotch. "The worst part is, I don't even know why she would do it." He sounded like a lost little boy at the end. Nate's heart went out to him.

His best friend patted his back in an attempt to soothe him. "I know it looks bad, but people make mistakes. Come on. Did you love her when you told Gossip Girl about your fling with her? Or how about the time when you abandoned her in Tuscany? Or when you planned to dethrone her once again? Or even when you left her right after your father died and proceeded to ignore her when you came back? You loved her through all of that, didn't you?" Chuck remained silent.

Nate stared at Chuck for a few moments, then sighed. "Just because she made a mistake doesn't mean she doesn't love you." With that, he got up and stretched. "I'm gonna crash here tonight. What movie do you want to watch?" He walked over to the T.V, turned it on, and started flicking through channels. "There's a lot of good stuff on tonight. Come over here and help me choose."

Chuck couldn't help but grin as he watched Nate. "I'll be right there, Nathaniel," he called as he leisurely stood up and walked over to the T.V. If Nate was right, he wasn't going to admit it. If Nate was wrong, it wouldn't be the first time.

xoxo

About ten days later, Chuck was sitting in his bedroom alone. He still hadn't spoken to Blair since Nate's party, but he had seen her on a couple of occasions. She still looked miserable, just like Nate had said. He couldn't help but be worried and slightly guilty for his part in her misery, but he used all of his willpower to ignore her and walk away. He hated that she had broken his heart. He hated that he had broken her heart in retaliation. He hated that he still cared.

It had been two weeks since Nate's party. He still wasn't _okay_. He didn't know if he would ever be _okay_. Still, he was doing better than he was. He was sober for at least half the day now. He could actually think about other things besides Blair and Jack for almost a full hour. He didn't feel like jumping off a roof now (the thought still crossed his mind sometimes, but he no longer felt the need to act out the thought).

He still felt sick whenever he thought of Blair and Jack. He still wanted to cry almost all of the time, but he refused to give them the satisfaction (if your tears don't fall, it doesn't count as crying). He still wouldn't talk to or acknowledge Blair. He still wished he could have punched Jack again. He still used scotch and miscellaneous drugs to block out the memory of Blair (it still didn't work). He still felt like a survivor of a train wreck.

When he first found out that Blair slept with Jack, he tried as hard as he could to block out the world. Why did it hurt so much? Why couldn't he forget? Why was he given a heart just to have it shattered by the one who gave it to him? _Why did she_ _do it_?

He would run as far as he could just so he wouldn't have to face people ever again. He wanted to run away to a place where he didn't have to hurt anymore. It didn't matter that such a place didn't exist. He would make one. He was Chuck Bass.

Except none of those things would change the fact that Blair Waldorf had sex with Jack Bass.

Nothing could _ever _change that.

Blair had stopped trying to contact Chuck, but she was still trying to indirectly show that she cared. She was the one who make up an excuse to Headmistress Queller for Chuck when he didn't come back to school in the first few days after his suspension was over. (He never thanked her.) She was the one who was worried that Chuck wasn't eating properly, so she sent a basket of food with Eric to Chuck's room. Dorota had prepared most of the food, but a Thanksgiving pie was included, even though it was out of season. (He didn't eat it.) She was the one who sent him little notes with cute messages on them during school. (He threw them away.)

Chuck would never admit that those actions had warmed his heart. (Only a little, and just for one instant). But then the image of Blair and Jack would flood his mind, and he would feel nothing but contempt. It just wouldn't go away. Chuck was sure it would haunt him for the rest of his days. Hell, maybe it was karma.

Just then, Vanya the doorman knocked on Chuck's door. Chuck called for him to come in, and Vanya carried a small box over to Chuck. "This was at the door, sir. It is for you." Chuck's heart skipped a beat as he took the package from Vanya. He recognized the box, and he had a suspicion of what was inside of it.

After Vanya left, Chuck slowly opened the box. Just as he expected, the Erikson Beamon necklace shone brightly at the dark-haired boy. He carefully lifted the necklace from the box and set it on the table beside him. Underneath where the necklace was lay a note. As Chuck read the note, he felt a painful sensation. His emotions became tangled and he felt confused and lost.

_ I don't feel worthy of its beauty anymore. I'm giving this back to you. I hope you can find somebody who deserves such a gift. I'm so sorry. –B _

Even though he wasn't supposed to care, Chuck couldn't help but feel angry at Blair for giving it back to him. He didn't expect anything from her anymore, but this was _the_ necklace. No matter what happened between them, the Erikson Beamon necklace would always be Blair's. She knew what it meant to both of them. She couldn't just give it back to him like it was nothing.

It wasn't supposed to matter anymore, but it did. This was different.

Chuck sighed. He needed to think.

* * *

><p><strong>P.S.<strong> Just to make things clear, Blair's bulimia hasn't returned. I know I made her throw up once at the beginning of chapter two, but that was a one time relapse (I don't know much about bulimia, but I'm sure such a thing is possible). Blair is not going to throw up anymore in this story. She's just upset at the moment.


	10. Chapter 10

****Author's Note:**** This is the last chapter. I hope it was a worthwhile read. Even though I think it had to be this way in order for my story to go the way it did, I know there wasn't very much Blair and Chuck together. I'm going to have to do another story with more of Blair and Chuck. A big thank you to the people who took the time to read this from beginning to end!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

The next afternoon, Chuck turned over the necklace for the thousandth time since he'd received it the previous night. He went over the letter Blair had sent him over and over in his head. On the surface it was a "break-up and move on" letter, but Chuck couldn't help but feel that something was missing. He just didn't know what.

_What is she trying to say?_ Chuck asked himself yet again. _What isn't she telling me?_ The necklace and the letter were sending conflicting messages. All of a sudden, he jerked his head up. _That's it! _Knowing what he had to do, he marched downstairs to his waiting limo.

"Where to, Mr. Bass?" Did he even have to ask?

xoxo

A few blocks away, Blair lay on her bed. She had tried everything she could think of to get Chuck to talk to her, but none of them worked. They were never going to. Giving him _her_ necklace back was a symbol of her defeat, but she couldn't help but hope that he would take it to mean something else. She didn't know what she would do if she lost Chuck forever. She didn't think it was possible to love somebody this much, but she couldn't get him out of her mind.

"Miss Blair, Mister Chuck is here to see you." Dorota called, entering Blair's room. Blair sat up immediately.

"Dorota, are you sure it's him?" The brunette asked, a trace of hope in her voice.

Dorota smiled, her eyes shining. "I am sure, Miss Blair. Now quick, go to see him. Go!" The maid pulled on Blair's arm and Blair laughed. She got out of Dorota's grasp and hurried downstairs.

Her heart was racing. Chuck was here! She was so scared that he would only reject her once more, but if he was going to do that, why would he come to her home? Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, her breath caught in her throat. Chuck was standing a few feet away, facing away from her. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered wildly. It really had been too long since she had seen him last. Hesitantly, she walked over to him.

"Chuck?" Blair whispered. She wanted to say more, but she couldn't think of anything else to say. He spun around. A look of surprise crossed his face. He made no move to come closer. Blair's heart sank.

He stood there for a few moments, fumbling with his St. Jude's tie. Finally, he spoke. "Tell me again."

"Why?" Blair asked softly.

"I need you to tell me again." Chuck responded in an equally soft voice. They stared at each other with passion and longing and love.

Blair didn't know if Chuck would allow her to touch him this time, but she didn't take that risk. Instead, she stood directly in front of him. "Chuck Bass, I love you. I love you so much it consumes me. At Lily and Bart's wedding, when you danced with me, I realized that I loved you for the first time. I tried so hard to kill my butterflies ever since then, but they just won't go away. Even if you walk out of here right now without another word, I'll still love you. Even if your butterflies were murdered, mine will never die." Blair felt her eyes tear up and cursed herself. "I love you."

As soon as she finished, Chuck stepped forward and Blair felt his lips crash down on her own. Hot tears spilled down her cheeks. His arms found their way around her waist, and she embraced him as closely as she could. "I can't kill mine either." He whispered in between kisses. Blair only cried harder. She buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so s-sorry!" Blair bawled out. Still buried in Chuck's shoulder, she repeated it over and over. Chuck kissed the top of her head.

"I forgive you." Chuck smiled at Blair. She giggled through her tears. Silently, she took him by the hand and led him upstairs. Once they reached Blair's bedroom, she sat on her bed. Chuck sat down beside her. For what seemed like hours, neither one of them spoke.

Blair decided that she should give Chuck some sort of explanation for what happened. In most of their previous fights, they had never really talked about their feelings in great detail. They got over their anger and hurt eventually, but it always left a small trace of doubt in their hearts afterwards. This time, Blair didn't want Chuck to doubt her. She was so sick of fights. She hated them. If they were going to do this again, it was going to for real this time.

She wished she had picked anybody else in the Palace Bar that night. Of course, a better option would be not to sleep with anybody at all, but if she _had_ to sleep with somebody, she wished she had chosen a stranger. Sure, sleeping with a random guy would anger Chuck, but then she would bring up the whores in Thailand. They would fight for a little while, but at the end of the day they would be wrapped up in each other again. If only it had gone down that way. They would fight, they would make up, and in the end, nobody's hearts would be broken.

Instead she had slept with Chuck's last living relative and put their relationship in turmoil. It wasn't fair. A mistake shouldn't hurt this much. It was all because it was Jack. All of a sudden, Blair remembered something Georgina said once. Sometimes it doesn't matter what you did, it's who you did it with. Or something along those lines, anyway.

"It didn't mean any more to me than what your random one-night-stands meant to you. I know it's not the same thing, but it felt like it at the time. You can be sure that it will never happen again."

"One night stands are Chuck Bass behaviour, not Blair Waldorf behaviour."

"I know. I wasn't feeling like Blair Waldorf. I was so devastated over not knowing where you were, I did stupid things that I would have never done if I was in a better state of mind. That's not an excuse, but it's the reason." Tears came to Blair's eyes once again, and she choked on a sob. "All I wanted was you. I wanted you to come home, but you didn't. I waited for you, but you never came. Jack was the closest I could find, but he wasn't you! Even as it was happening, I knew it was the biggest mistake I could ever make."

"That doesn't make everything okay." His voice was filled with the same bitterness it had contained two weeks ago. Yes, Chuck had forgiven Blair, but it didn't mean that he liked the situation any better. He wanted to avoid this conversation, because as much as he knew it to be true, he wanted to pretend it wasn't.

"I wish it would. I just want to back to the way things were before your father died. It seems so silly to think of how much I complained back then. I would go back to that time in a heartbeat if I could."

Chuck stared at the picture on her wall, a sad smile on his face. "When I found out, I'd never felt more betrayed in my entire life. I waited for it to stop hurting, but it never did. I felt something inside of me breaking. The one person who could put it back together had smashed it to pieces."

Instinctively, Blair leaned on Chuck's shoulder. "I never wanted to hurt you. It's masochistic. Whatever hurts you hurts me. When your heart bleeds, mine feels like it's being torn to shreds. Now I have to put two hearts back together instead of just one." Still resting her head on Chuck's shoulder, Blair flipped out her cell phone and deleted Jack's number. "There. Now he's out of my life for good." Chuck noticed how she didn't say "our lives". He guessed he would never truly be rid of his uncle.

"He'd better be." Chuck growled.

Blair smiled against him. "You're the only Bass I need." Suddenly she shifted and stared up at him. "What made you decide to come back to me?"

The dark-haired boy looked at the wall for a few moments. "We both did stupid, painful things to each other. In the future, we'll probably do more stupid, painful things to each other. But we have to eventually move on, because the pain isn't worth blocking out all the good times. The love, the laughs, all the times we just couldn't keep our hands off of each other… I'm so much better when we're together than when we're apart. You make me better. I can't imagine living without you." He took a deep breath. "I hope I never have to find out." In response, Blair snuggled closer to him and he breathed in her silky curls.

Chuck had missed this closeness to Blair. The two teenagers sat on the bed for what seemed like forever, reveling in the warmth they felt from each other's bodies. The world didn't exist anymore. It was just Chuck and Blair. Blair and Chuck. Just the way it was meant to be. Eventually, Chuck reluctantly pulled back.

He reached behind him and took out a box. Blair recognized it as being the Erickson Beamon box. Her eyes widened. He opened the box to reveal the Erickson Beamon necklace, then proceeded to take it out of the box and fasten it around Blair's neck. Both of them remained silent.

They were reminded of the first time Chuck did this. Both times were beautiful and significant. Blair couldn't choose which time was more beautiful. They both were, in different ways. At last, Chuck broke the silence. "You are always beautiful to me." Blair smiled and intertwined her fingers with Chuck's.

Chuck finally looked at over at Blair. "So, what have you been doing in the last two weeks?"

The brunette looked flustered all of a sudden. "Oh, well, you know, just the usual. I've been busy and lost track of time. Serena and Dan got back together, Nate's been around sometimes, and I did a lot of homework and stuff ar—"

Chuck couldn't contain himself any longer. He knew Blair was lying (or at least not telling the entire truth), and the butterflies in his stomach fluttered fiercely. "I love you." He blurted, cutting Blair off.

She was speechless for a second. "What? Why?"

The boy smirked. "Because your eyes are doing that thing where they don't match your mouth. You were too busy thinking of me to do anything useful."

"Don't be cocky!" Blair glared at Chuck. "My two weeks without you were very productive, thank you very much. I got a lot done."

Chuck leaned closer to her, giving her a soft smile. "Yes, you did plenty of work, missing me every step of the way."

For a few moments, neither Blair nor Chuck spoke. They gazed at each other intently, memorizing every pore of the other's face. So that no matter what happened, the memory of each other's bodies would be forever imprinted in their minds. As for the sounds, taste, smell, and touch… They would have to find ways to imprint those memories into their brains as well.

Finally, Blair smiled shyly and put her forehead against Chuck's. "I love you, too," she whispered.

Chuck smirked and flipped Blair under him so that he was lying on top of her. As he slowly kissed her face and her neck, Blair was in complete ecstasy. "Not as much as I love you," he answered before attacking her neck.

Blair's eyes fluttered open in indignation. "No, I love you so much more!" Her boyfriend only gave her a perverted smirk.

"Oh, I don't know. You're going to have to show me how much you love me." He flipped her again so that she was on top of him and showed her his best puppy-dog eyes.

Blair, never one to back down from a challenge, smirked seductively. "By the time this night is over, you'll regret doubting me." She kissed him with strength and passion, leaving Chuck powerless underneath her. Although if his face and pants were any indication, he didn't seem to mind much.

As this behaviour continued, it inevitably led to the best (not to mention only) sex either of them had had in over two weeks.

xoxo

"Remind me again, S, why this was a good idea." Blair said, looking over at her best friend. Serena smiled, ignoring the look on her friends' faces. Chuck glared at Dan and Dan coughed uncomfortably.

"Come on, it really does make sense. I like you, you like me, I like Dan, Dan likes me, I like Chuck—sometimes, Chuck likes me—sometimes, you like Chuck, and Chuck likes you. It's only logical for you and Chuck to eventually like Dan, right?" The others heavily disagreed with Serena's rationalization, but they only grumbled and complained.

Serena had come up with the idea that since both her and Dan and Blair and Chuck had just gotten back together, they should go on a double date. Nobody else was enthused with the idea, but eventually they agreed to it. Maybe it was because her recent scheming over the last few weeks impressed the seasoned schemers. She was at least partly right about that, because when the others heard of Serena and Nate's plans, they couldn't believe they had almost pulled it off. At first, Blair and Chuck were angry with their best friends for going behind their backs and doing what they did, but they had to give in because the two airheads really did have their best interests in mind.

At any rate, Serena had managed to get Blair, Chuck, and Dan to spend a few hours together. The four teenagers were going to see a movie. Serena wanted to see _Last Chance Harvey_, Blair wanted to see _Underworld Rise of the Lycans_, and Chuck and Dan surprised everybody, including themselves, by both wanting to watch _Outlander_. In the end, Blair and Serena agreed to watch _Outlander _because they found out that James Caviezel was starring in it.

While Blair, Chuck, and Serena chose seats inside of the movie theatre, Dan got popcorn and drinks. Dan knew what Serena wanted from experience, but he had no idea what to get Blair and Chuck. He decided to get them the same thing he was getting for him and Serena, not really caring if that was what they wanted or not. He fumbled the four bags of popcorn and four root beers all the way to the seats the others were occupying.

Once he reached the seat beside Serena, he sat down and passed the food and drinks to the others. He gave Serena her popcorn and grinned at her. "I made sure it was unsalted, just the way you like it."

The bubbly blonde laughed and hugged Dan excitedly. "Dan! You remembered! I'm so happy!" As the young couple began to make out, Blair rolled her eyes and turned to Chuck.

"Really. Inside of a movie theatre, of all places. Some people have no sense of decency." Chuck nodded, looking equally disgusted.

When the movie started, the four pairs of eyes watched in excited anticipation of what was to come. The movie was fascinating, and Serena gripped onto both Blair and Dan in fear. "Nate never said the movie was this good," she whispered to Blair.

"Nate watched this movie?" Dan whispered.

"No, he read the review in the newspaper yesterday." Serena responded. Yesterday morning, Blair and Nate joined Chuck and Serena for breakfast at the van der Basses. Nate was trying to decide which movie he wanted to watch that night, and he read the reviews of all the movies in the theatre aloud. Serena decided right then and there that the newspaper reviews didn't do the movie justice. Her blue eyes widened as the story unfolded.

In the middle of the movie, Chuck took Blair's hand and smiled at her. "Chuck and Blair, holding hands," he whispered.

Blair giggled and squeezed his hand. "Chuck and Blair, going to the movies." He leaned down to kiss her, and she eagerly responded. As their hands and tongues got a little adventurous, Serena and Dan shook their heads in revulsion.

"Really, that is _so_ immature. Thank god we don't act like that in public." Serena told Dan, still shaking her head.

Dan looked like he had swallowed something extremely sour. "Yeah. They should be ashamed of themselves."

After the movie was over, Serena took a deep breath of the cool night air and turned to the others. "That movie was amazing! I still want to do something. It's too early to go home." She thought for a few seconds, then she grinned. "I know! We can go to the Palace! It's been a while! The last time I was there, it was—" Remembering exactly when it was, Serena stopped herself just in time and giggled sheepishly. "Well, it doesn't really matter when it was. The point is, it's been a while."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Dan touched Serena's arm, silently telling her to stop talking. Serena stared up at the streetlights, embarrassed. Chuck glanced at Blair, and Blair was suddenly very interested in her shoes.

Chuck sighed in an over-exaggerated manner. "Fine, we'll go to my suite." Serena grinned and happily clapped her hands together. The group started walking towards the hotel. It was a beautiful night, and there was no point in taking a taxi or Chuck's limo.

"Wow, I've never been there before." Dan whispered to his girlfriend.

Serena rolled her eyes. "Well, that's obvious."

"I haven't been there in ages!" Blair laughed. "We're going to have to order room service. I'm in the mood for éclairs." Chuck smiled at her and ruffled her curls. At her protests, he laughed. Blair glared at him and tried to pull his hair, but he dodged her. When Blair tried to grab his hair again, he pulled her close and kissed her. This time, Blair wasn't complaining.

The End.

* * *

><p><strong>P.S. <strong>I just started watching old episodes of Grey's Anatomy again. Damn, I miss Izzie and Alex so much! I love them as much as Blair and Chuck! I guess I'll have to write something for Grey's Anatomy now.


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